Reflections: Kairi
by Ari Powwel
Summary: [COMPLETE] In a world of Keyblades and Heartless, Princesses and pure hearts, betrayal and hatred, one girl remains unseen. This girl, this -Kairi,- has never had a chance to tell her side of the story. Until now.
1. a changing storm

**Title:** Reflections: Kairi ( 1 / ? )  
**Author name:** Ari Powwel  
**Author email:** eight_muses@hotmail.com  
**Spoilers:** . . . a lot . . .  
**Summary: **Why did I choose Kairi next? Because Sora's is going to be extremely long XD and it's not the one to be writing when school starts tomorrow . . .   
**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by various publishers including but not limited to Disney Interactive and Square Co., Ltd. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**  
Author's Notes:** Welcome to Kairi's reflections! The one that will change a lot from the game! ((think Riku's little breakaway from Ansem during battle and add that to the entire story ^^;;)) I hope you all like!!  
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Kairi sat down on Riku's Paopu, gazing out into the sunset. She missed Riku and Sora terribly; she longed to see them again, to see their normal mannerisms. Riku, always cool and confident, seeming never to doubt himself, besting Sora at everything. Sora, running around like the world would end that day and he wanted to make the most out of the last day, always wearing his emotions on his sleeve. Kairi longed to see the competition between them again, to see Sora begging Riku for one last chance to win, and Riku's half-laugh as he replied, 'I don't think so.'

Kairi didn't notice when the others left, only seeing the sun as it sunk beyond the horizon. She heaved a sigh and stood, meaning to return home, but instead, she looked at the Secret Place. She walked down the dark, curving path to the cavern, hand trailing along the carvings on the walls as a smile slowly crossed her face. The Secret Place was one of her favourite places on the island, now, the other two being Riku's Paopu and the cove on the other side of the beach. The other kids never bothered her there, instead duelling and shouting happily as the day passed. Most didn't remember Riku or Sora. She'd found that out the first time she was asked about why she was sad, only a couple days after the world had been restored.

However, Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka knew . . . they'd been the first ones to greet her when Destiny Islands had returned, and they'd seen the worlds falling back to their normal places in the sky. They didn't know _exactly_ what had happened, but they'd remembered the two boys, and perhaps the three understood Kairi better than most did, now.

Kairi crouched beside a familiar drawing on the wall, running a finger over the scratches. 'You promised, Sora,' she whispered. 'You promised . . .' She leaned over to look at another picture, but the tilt was too much and Kairi tipped backwards. She sighed and lay on her back, looking up at the 'roof' of the cavern: a great hole in the rock face.

'I miss them . . .' she told herself, remembering the last times she'd been with them.

*        *        *

I was so excited that night. Tomorrow, we were going to leave Destiny Islands! I wondered if we'd possibly find my home . . . a low rumble of thunder reached my ears and I looked up from my writing, gasping upon seeing a storm hovering over the island. The raft! If it was destroyed, we'd have to start all over again! I pushed my notebook into the desk's drawer, standing up and knocking my chair over with a _thud_. I ignored it for now; I'd pick it up later. I descended the stairs, nearly tripping several times in my haste. I picked my house key off its peg and slipped on my shoes, barely stopping to lock the door behind me. I took off towards my boat, sliding the key into my pocket. 

The water flowed into my shoes as I pushed the wooden boat into the water, but I took no notice of it, instead pushing off as fast as possible towards the island – which, admittedly, wasn't as fast as either of the boys. The entire trip I worried about the raft – what if it had already been damaged? What if the raging tides pulled it out to sea? What if –

'Kairi!' 

Oh. I was at the island, already? I looked up and saw Riku standing on the dock. He pulled the rope from my boat and tied it to the dock for me, then helped me up on the dock. 'So you saw it too, huh?' he asked.

'Yeah . . .' I stared at the sky. A giant orb hung in it, red in the centre, fading to black on the outside. 'What _is_ that?'

'Our ticket out of here,' Riku said. I turned to look at him, and momentarily panicked at the look in his eyes. Then he was back to normal as he looked at me and said, 'We have to go to the door.'

'The door?'

'The one in the Secret Place, you remember?'

'The one you –'

'Yes.'

Riku and I sprinted across the sand; I trusted him without question. He had always been right about things before, even more so when it seemed to be the completely wrong thing to do, if that even made any sense. At the entrance to the Secret Place, though, he stopped, looking out along the still ocean. I blinked. When had it become so tranquil? Minutes before it had been raging harder than I'd seen it – or had it?

'Kairi, you go in,' Riku told me. 'I'm going to wait for Sora, then we'll all go.'

'But –' I started to protest, but Riku interrupted me.

'I already have passage through,' he assured me. 'I'm going to make sure that we all three make it through, and you need to wait at the door, so that you will.'

I took a deep breath and nodded. Riku smiled. 'Don't worry; we won't be long.' Then he turned and raced away, leaping to the roof of the shack and running down to his island. I nodded to myself, again, and turned, slowly making my way down the winding tunnel.

When I reached the end, I noticed an immediate difference from the normal wooden door. A golden keyhole was shining on it, a golden design flaunting it. Unable to keep away, I came closer, examining it. What was that shining behind it? I moved closer . . . 

The door flung open, and I screamed and jumped back, surprised. Then I slowly inched closer once again, curiosity getting the better of me. I was about five feet away from the door when a low chuckle reached my ears, along with a few garbled words. However, I _did_ manage to pick out the last words: 'Foolish princess . . .'

I saw black eating away at the corners of my eyes, and knew I was about to pass out. I struggled to stay conscious, noticing a hooded figure stepping in front of me. I screamed again, and he disappeared, leaving me standing, severely weakened, in front of the door.

I heard footsteps running down the path behind me, and I turned, eyes half-open. I could barely make out – 'Sora . . .'

The door behind me burst open again, but this time, a wind issued from it, sending me hurtling towards Sora. He opened his arms to catch me, and he and I both braced for the impact – 

It never came.

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**Ari sweatdrops** erm, yes, so this is the first chapter . . . strange, yes. Mysterious, I hope so. Cliffhanger? . . . in my mind, it is . . .

**hears that she has to get offline at 10:00 and dashes off to post the chapter**

Sorry if it sounds a bit wonky, peoples, I didn't really have time to go over it and edit much . . . -_-" I personally think it moves too quickly and should've been slowed down a lot more . . . **shrugs** I'll tweak it more during the week, but I just wanted to get this out to you all!! ^_^

This is the last thing I'll be posting before school starts, and I'll be a sophomore this year, so although I'll _try_ to have a new chapter for you next Sunday, I can't guarantee it. Updates will come Sundays, though ((or I'll switch my schedule to posting Mondays and Thursdays)) and I hope you all can bear with me as I try to transition to school time XD

As always, please review!!


	2. a heart lost

**Title:** Reflections: Kairi ( 2 / ? )  
**Author name:** Ari Powwel  
**Author email:** eight_muses@hotmail.com  
**Spoilers:** . . . a lot . . .  
**Summary: **Heh, here we learn what happened to Kairi, and guess what?! It's a heck of a lot different than what the game makes you think . . . ^^;;  
**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by various publishers including but not limited to Disney Interactive and Square Co., Ltd. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**  
Author's Notes:** . . . this chapter is a little confusing near the end . . . if you don't understand, just let me know, I'll elaborate a bit more next chapter anyways.  
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I opened my eyes slowly, a headache pounding at the base of my skull—and nearly screamed. Somehow, I was floating above my body . . . but how could that be? I hadn't—I swallowed hard at the thought—_died_, had I? No! I tried to move back to my body, but whenever I settled into it, I wouldn't be able to become myself again. I took a deep breath and said to myself, 'Kairi, either you're dead, or you learned astro-projection without knowing it. Which is it?' 

'Why won't she awaken?' a voice asked, its owner stepping from the shadows. She wore a black headpiece that curved upwards, making it look as though she had horns. A black robe-like garment trailed over the ground behind her. Held in her left hand was a bronze rod, topped off by a green-jewelled orb.

'She is without a heart,' a deeper voice said. Without my heart? What did he mean? I tried to get a better look at the figure, but he remained hidden in the shadows. 'It has been taken, lost to the darkness. She is but a mere shell of her former self.'

'Without her heart, she will never be able to release her power,' the woman said.

The man chuckled. 'It is a simple err to fix, Maleficent.' He instructed, 'You must simply inculcate the Heartless to find it.'

'Of course,' breathed the woman, whom I'd learned to be Maleficent. 'I'll get them on it at once.'

'And what of the boy?'

'All went according to plan,' Maleficent confirmed. 'You were correct about everything. When the darkness came, he remembered and followed your instruction precisely. There is no reason to believe this should be any different.'

'Remember, though. The boy will not remember his meetings, nor his instructions. I would advise not to reveal this to him, as it could prove invaluable later.'

'Of course.'

Before I'd had any time to wonder about what they meant, the door on the far side creaked and began to open. The man in the shadows disappeared, either drawing further back into the shadows or disappearing entirely, I couldn't tell. Maleficent stepped in front of my body (I shuddered; it was so weird to see myself lying on the ground . . .), turning towards the door.

At the other end of the hall, Riku was pushed through the door; it closed sharply behind him.

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~ We now bring you a Muse!Interruption.~   
Ari: **waves** Sorry, I HAD to pull that half-cliffy there, it was too good an opportunity to miss.  
Tom: Sadist.  
Ari: ^^; Nah, that's Yami no Baka-ch—  
Y.B.: **appears** You were saying?  
Ari: **meeps** I MEAN, Yami no Baku-sama! ^^;;;  
Artemis: You mess up like that far too often . . .  
Ari: -_-" Not my fault . . . it's funny! ^^;  
Tom: ¬_¬ It's not wise to tempt fate . . .  
Artemis: Really, Ari, you must have a death wish.  
Ari: First, I've tempted fate since before I was born—  
Tom: **scoffs**  
Ari: And secondly, Y.B. wouldn't kill me . . .  
Y.B. **under his breath** Don't be so sure about that . . .  
Artemis: **sighs** Just do the Author replies . . .

Thanks to the following reviewers!

~ TennyoAngel711 ~  
RIGHT! How would he have known if Maleficent or Ansem hadn't gotten to him already?  
**laughs** Well, this is Kairi's view of what happened during Kingdom Hearts, so hopefully it's the right pov . . . ^^;; I couldn't stand in the game how they made it look as though Kairi loved Sora and didn't give a [censored] monkey's [censored] [censored] about Riku. I didn't think it was right how Riku did all that for her and lost her heart, and what does Kairi do?! [edited because of spoiler content. Having to do with the drawing on the cave wall.]  
~ Ari started to answer the question about the scene between Riku and Kairi, but was stopped by Artemis. 'My client will not answer that question at this moment. She won't answer any questions pertaining to the future of this fic, for fear of spoilers.'  
Ari rolled her eyes. 'What he means is, although I've finished planning the story, I'm not sure about that scene yet. It may be put in, but it may not be.' ~  
Heh. School sucks. I hate it. I think it'll make this chapter a day late . . .  
I'm updating!!

~ Mizutaka ~  
Yeah! **parties** Yeah, that's what I thought of it: weird . . . but it's got a good last sentence, (hopefully) makes you want to read more . . .  
Heh, I worked on Riku's part . .  . well, not much ^^; because he's a muse and he doesn't mind telling me what happened ((mostly because I do embarrassing things all the time so I can't blackmail him **coughhack**)) And I've always thought that something had happened to him already on Destiny Islands, because how would he know how that the darkness would help them get off the island if he hadn't been instructed or something?  
Glad to hear I'm keeping Kairi IC, cos I don't really like her—so why am I doing her Reflections? I don't know . . . -_-"

~ YamiMarita ~  
Heh, so this is worthwhile? . . . . . . . . COOL! ^_^;;;  
I hate school . . . I really do. Luckily, I've dropped all honours classes ((except the one which would involve repeating Biology, which I don't wanna do . . . O.O)) and so I don't have that much work ((Which _would_ mean more writing time if I didn't have dance crap . . . )) but with three study halls a week, I'll be working as much as possible to get these out to you on time!

~ stoneliger ~  
**is attempting to keep holding it up but drops it** Aack! That's HEAVY!! **sweatdrops**  
All right, all right, all bad puns aside ((^^;;;)) thanks for the comment. Every review makes me kick my bum into gear and start working ((even though I _should_ have this finished already!)) So anyways, I hope this chapter was up to the standards set by the last one!!

Artemis: Ari, you do realise this isn't the end of the chapter?  
Ari: . . . no?  
Artemis: I'd suggest finishing the chapter, now. ((voice tone means 'No arguing.'))  
Ari: Fiiiiiiine . . .  
~ We now end this Muse!Interruption, and apologise for the intrusion. ~

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Riku looked around the room; his eyes fixed on me a moment.

Something snapped. It was almost as if something _yanked_ me, and I saw the world from a different point of view. _I could've sworn I saw Kairi . . ._ a voice echoed through my head, eerily familiar.

'Ahh, I see you received your wish,' Maleficent said to me. I blinked. What wish?

'What are you talking about?' Riku's voice sounded, but where was he? I looked around, hearing the voice float through my mind once more. _I didn't make a wish—wait. Oh, of course . . ._

'Did you not make it off of your island?'

'I suppose . . .' Riku answered slowly. Silence reigned the room for a short period of time before he voiced another question. 'Then . . . where am I?'

Maleficent chuckled. 'Why, my dear boy, this is known as Hollow Bastion.'

_What about Kairi? And Sora?_ These thoughts passed through my mind almost exactly as Riku spoke them aloud.

Maleficent shook her head, seemingly in pity. 'As for the girl, I know not.' I protested loudly against this; of course she knew where I was! 'But as for the boy . . .' Maleficent raised her staff slightly, the green orb on the end glowing. I watched, oddly fascinated and slightly confused, as what seemed to be Sora appeared in the space between her and myself. _It's only an image,_ the voice said.

Sora was holding a large key; a silver shaft with prongs at the end served as a sword, and the golden hilt was surrounded by a box-like protector-thing of gold. _So that if someone struck at your hand to try and make you drop your sword, it wouldn't get to your hand,_ the voice explained. _It's a nice sword, no doubt about that._ Sora was fighting a large, black dog, which was currently trying to catch him in its giant jaws. Two other figures fought beside him: one, a duck-like figure that summoned lightning from the skies to strike the beast, and what seemed to be a dog, standing on two legs and attacking with a shield. As I watched, the dog used a spinning move to close the distance between himself and the beast, then struck it on the snout, the duck summoned another round of lightning, and Sora's hey came down on the dog with an overhead swing. The dog roared soundlessly and stepped forward. _Get out of the way!_ said the voice. I watched in horror as Sora merely readied his sword again.

The beast stepped forward again, swaying a bit this time. Another step, more swaying. A final step, and the dog toppled over on its side.

Suddenly, a burst of sound filled the room. 'Wow, Sora!' the dog chuckled. 'You're gettin' really good with that Keyblade!'

Sora nodded, holding the Keyblade before himself. 'Yeah. Not even Riku would stand a chance against me now!' An odd, smirk-like grin crossed his face.

_What?!_ The thought shot through my head so loudly I clamped my hands over my ears, hoping to stifle it. _That 'Keyblade's' gone to his head!_

The image of Sora walked up to a satyr. 'Hey, Phil, is there anyone else to fight?' That smirk-like grin crossed his face again. 'I wanna be sure Riku can't beat me when we meet up again!'

Abruptly, the image disappeared, leaving us in half-darkness. 'You see, that wretched boy has no longing to see you again—at least, not until he can defeat you.'

'I—I don't believe you!' Riku said. His voice sounded just a bit shocked, unnoticeable to anyone who didn't know him like I did. _Sora wouldn't do that . . . would he? He wouldn't . . . I can't believe her._

'Would you like to see it for yourself?' Maleficent gestured to the wall between us and a pulsing, roiling mass of darkness appeared.

'I would,' Riku replied, and all at once, the darkness began to grow closer to me. _Hey, wait a moment!_ I thought, trying to stop myself. _I'm not moving . . ._ Somehow, my subconscious had already come to the answer, but it had taken a couple minutes for me to accept it. Somehow . . . I had become a part of Riku! I also realised that this must have been where the voice had come from—I was hearing his thoughts!

Riku reached the portal, and we stepped through it together.


	3. a soul torn

**Title:** Reflections: Kairi ( 3 / ? )  
**Author name:** Ari Powwel  
**Author email:** eight_muses@hotmail.com  
**Spoilers:** . . . a lot . . .  
**Summary: **Fwee, this chapter has a lot more of the character interacting, more of Riku's stories, more revelations on what's happening to Kairi—basically, this chapter is better than the previous two! ^_^;;  
**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by various publishers including but not limited to Disney Interactive and Square Co., Ltd. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**  
Author's Notes:** Here ya go, you get to learn more about what's happening!! =^_^=  
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I wasn't sure how long we travelled, suspended between light and dark. I was rather lost in my own thoughts. What, exactly, had happened to me? How was it I could enter Riku's mind? I kept asking, although I knew I would receive no answer.

We reached the other end, our destination. Riku nearly fell as he was pushed through, but he somersaulted and landed on his feet. I smiled. Although everything we had once held true had been twisted inside itself, Riku was still Riku. And nothing was going to change that. As he straightened, I looked around. That door . . . I gazed upon a large red door, a flame upon it glowing eerily. There was something behind it . . . calling for me . . . I felt the same harsh pull as I had in Hollow Bastion, and my perspective of the world changed once again.

I stood in a musty old house, walls dark and rough. I reached behind my back and grasped the other arm. 'There's something about this musty place . . .' I murmured to myself. Then I turned and saw Sora looking right at me. I wondered why only he and Riku had been able to see me as I said, 'It reminds me of the Secret Place back home, where we used to scribble on the walls. Remember?' I smiled at him.

'. . . Kairi?' Sora asked, but turned away as the dog-person said his name. When he turned back around, I blinked, and only saw a stone wall. _What? Where did she go?_ A voice went through my head and I smiled, knowing this time that I was seeing things from Sora's point of view, sort of an extra passenger. _Wasn't_ _Kairi_ _just_ _there?_

'Well, well . . .' a deep, old-sounding voice rumbled. 'You've arrived earlier than I expected.'

Sora jumped. _Who's that?!_ 'Wha . . . you knew we were coming?'

'Of course,' the man replied. He had a long grey beard that flowed over a blue robe. A tall, blue pointed hat sat on his head, and I guessed that he probably long grey hair, as well. A pair of round spectacles sat on his nose, and he carried a small carpetbag.

'Are you . . . a Heartless?' Sora asked suspiciously. 

'He doesn't look like one,' the duck pointed out. _Donald's right _. . . said Sora.

The man chuckled. 'Oh, my, no. My name is Merlin. As you can see, I am a sorcerer.' He motioned to his clothing. 'I spend much of my time travelling. It's good to be home . . . your king has requested my help.

'King Mickey?' the dogperson asked.

'Yes, indeed,' Merlin answered. 'Donald, Goofy.' He nodded to the two, then looked at Sora. 'And who might you be, young man?'

'I'm Sora,' Sora introduced himself. _So he's a sorcerer . . . maybe he can teach me more magic! _

My eyes widened upon hearing the thought. 'You can do _magic?_' The next moment, I frowned. Why would he be able to hear me?

'Ahh,' Merlin nodded. 'So, you have found the key.'

'What did the king ask you to do?' Donald asked.

'Just a moment . . .' Merlin said, bending and opening his carpetbag. He climbed the steps to a large circular platform, then hummed a bit. 'Presto!' he began, then danced a bit, singing a nonsense song—Sora said it was a spell, though—as all his possessions floated out and around him. In no time at all, the room was filled, a table and chairs standing on the circular platform. A bed, stood against the wall, a small stand on either side. There were shelves of books set at random intervals around the room, and a pile of books graced the floor in front of one. I gazed around the room in wonder; had all of this come from that small bag? 

'There now,' Merlin said. He cleared his throat, 'Your king asked me to train you in the art of magic. We can start anytime you like. Let me know when you're ready to begin the training. Oh, yes, and one more thing.' He gestured toward a small light green pumpkin-like carriage. A small _poof_ came from it, startling me, and a light smoke enveloped it. When it cleared, another figure stood in the room with them.

The woman had short grey hair, partially hidden under the hood of her blue robe, the sleeves of which only reached to her elbows. A pink bow was tied under the hood's bottom, and a smile graced the woman's face. 'Hello,' she said. 'I'm the Fairy Godmother. Your king asked my to help, too. I will assist throughout your journey.'

'I do not know how much I can be of help, but do stop by anytime,' Merlin told the four of us.

'Oh!' Sora suddenly said. _I almost forgot . . ._ 'Here, I have something for you.' He rummaged in a small bag and pulled out a small, thin book, then passed it to the sorcerer.

'Oh, that book . . .' Merlin accepted it with a smile. 'So, Cid asked you to bring this. Thank you. You wish to know what kind of book it is?' I imagined that Sora had opened his mouth to ask the question, here, but Merlin had cut him off. 'I don't even know, myself. In face, it's not mine. Somehow it found its way into my bag one day. It was such a curious book, I asked Cid to repair it for me. Well, I guess I'll put it here somewhere, for now . . . this book holds a great secret; I suppose the missing pages will unlock it.' Merlin waved a hand over the book, and it disappeared, reappearing on one of the tables beside the bed. I noticed that his magic wasn't really startling me anymore . . . 'I'll leave the book over there. Do look at it whenever you like; my best regards to Cid for repairing it for me. Oh, and about that stone of yours . . . you should ask the Fairy Godmother about that.'

Sora turned to the Fairy Godmother. 'Do you know what this is?' he asked.

The Fairy Godmother immediately looked shocked over the jewel. I wondered where he had gotten it; I knew he didn't have it while we were all on Destiny Islands . . . 'Oh, the poor thing!' Godmother cried. 'He's turned into a summon gem.'

'A summon gem?' Sora repeated, as did I.

'This little creature lived in a world that was consumed by darkness.' Godmother explained.

_Like Destiny Islands were . . ._ I gasped. Was that what had happened? Our world had been destroyed? 

'When a world vanishes, so do its inhabitants.'

What had happened to our friends? Wakka? Selphie? Tidus?

'But this one had such a strong heart, he became a gem instead of vanishing with his world.' Godmother finished.

'Can he regain himself?' Sora questioned.

'Yes,' she answered, 'but only his spirit. Now, watch!' She drew a long, thin stick of wood from her sleeve, a wand. 'Bibbity bobbity boo!' This was obviously some sort of spell, as the stone flashed once, then returned to its normal colour. 'Whenever you call, he will help you,' said Godmother. 'If you find any more of these, bring them to me. Don't worry, though, when their worlds are restored, they will return there. Sora, please help them.'

'Don't worry, I will,' Sora said. _I wonder what he's like . . . I wonder how strong he was to become a summon gem._

'You'd best go see Cid before going anywhere else,' Merlin told Sora.

Sora nodded again, pushing through the curtain hanging over the door. I looked around. We stood on a small island inside a cave, surrounded by water. Sora walked around to the front, and I saw several large, flat stones floating on the water, swinging back and forth across the top of the water. Sora made it across the first, the second, the third—on the fourth stone he slipped, falling into the water. I giggled as he bobbed up to the surface; the water hadn't even fazed me. Instead of climbing back onto the stone, however, Sora just swam to the other side, climbing back onto solid ground. 'So, where should we go next?' Sora asked.

'Cid told us to meet him at that vacant house . . .' the dogperson reminded Sora. In Merlin's house, I'd learned him to be Goofy.

'Right,' Sora nodded, and we set off, heading towards the orangey light coming from around the bend. There, the red door rose up silently, and we moved through it. Outside, a shadow-like thing rose from the ground, yellow eyes glowing eerily. _A Heartless!_ Sora shouted mentally, watching it as it prepared to attack.

Before it could, however, a reddish thing slashed through it, the Heartless disappearing into smoke. 'There you are,' Riku said. 'What's going on?'

'Riku!' Sora shouted, both physically and mentally. _Is he for real? Is this a dream?_ Sora grabbed at Riku's face, stretching it out.

Riku swatted his hands away. 'Hey, hey, cut it out!'

'I'm not dreaming this time, right?'

'I hope not.' Riku responded. 'Took forever to find you.'

'Riku—' Sora began, then paused. 'Wait a second, where's Kairi?'

'Isn't she with you?' I giggled, because it was true, I was with Sora. 'Well, don't worry. I'm sure she made it off the island, too.' Yes, he was sure—he should have been, at least, after seeing me at Hollow Bastion. 'Hey, she might even be looking for us now.' As Riku continued, another shadow rose from the ground behind him. 'We'll all be together again soon,' he continued, oblivious to the danger behind him and walking past Sora. 'Don't worry. Just leave everything to me. I know this—'

As Sora swung something through the Heartless, I switched from Sora's viewpoint to Riku's. Riku swivelled around as the Heartless exploded under the blade. The _Keyblade_. Sora grinned, flipping it up over his shoulder. 'Leave it to _who?_'

'Sora, what did you—' Riku started to ask, but was interrupted by Sora.

'I've been looking for you and Kairi, too, with their help,' he nodded at Donald and Goofy.

'Who . . . are they?' Riku questioned.

Donald cleared his throat. 'My name is—'

'We visited so many places and worlds, looking for you,' Sora interrupted again. _Sora's acting so . . . strange, Riku said. He never used to be . . . rude like that. Maybe . . . maybe Maleficent was right; maybe Sora only cares about that Key anymore._

'Really? Well, what do you know?' Riku chuckled, but it sounded a bit forced to me. 'I never would have guessed.'

'Oh, and guess what!' Goofy said, putting his hands on Sora's shoulders. 'Sora's the Keyblade master! Who would've thought it?'

'What's that mean?!' Sora argued.

Riku held up the Keyblade, looking at it. It was the same one from Maleficent's image . . . I bit my lip. Maybe she _had_ been right. 'So, this is called a Keyblade?' He asked.

'Huh?' Sora looked down at his empty hands, then up at Riku. 'Hey, give it back!' he tried to grab it, but Riku only stepped backwards.

_Do you only need it because it makes you more powerful? Is that all you care about now, Sora?_ 'Catch!' Riku called, tossing the Keyblade at Sora, who caught it.

'Okay, so, you're coming with us, right?' Sora asked. 'We've got this awesome rocket. Wait til you see it!'

_Maybe . . . Maleficent was lying. Trying to cloud my vision of you. But how do I know?_

'No, he can't come!' Donald argued.

'What?!'

'Forget it!'

'Oh, come on! He's my friend!' Riku slipped into a side alley, watching the rest of their conversation. _Only one way to find out if he's only hanging onto that thing for power . . . I wonder what he'll say when I'm not there?_

'I don't care!' yelled Donald, he and Sora both unaware of Riku's disappearance.

'He's gone,' Goofy stated.

'Riku?' Sora called, then turned to look at Donald. 'Nice going.' He sighed. 'Oh, well. At least he's okay. And who knows? Maybe we'll run into Kairi soon, too.'

As he, Donald, and Goofy walked off, Riku stepped from the shadows. 'He didn't _seem_ different,' he said to himself.

_No, he didn't. _

'Maleficent said that he didn't want to see me until he could best me at a fight.'

_But he seemed happy to see you now, didn't he?_

'But . . . he even wanted me to go with _them_. Maleficent _had_ to have been lying!'

_Right! Why would he turn on his best friend?_

'Maybe I should go find them again . . .' 

_Of course you should! C'mon, let's go!_

'They looked like they were heading for the stairs . . . maybe they went into the other districts.' Riku stood and walked across the main square of the district, ducking behind a wall and revealing a set of steps. He walked up and looked around, but there was no sign of Sora, Goofy, or Donald. Riku shrugged and pushed open a large set of doors marked with a 2. 'They should still be in the Second District . . . it's big enough that they wouldn't be to the door yet.' We stepped into a small alley, which Riku quickly navigated out of and into the main square of the district; it seemed all the districts had them. Riku looked around the square, both of us scanning it for Sora and company. They weren't there.

'Looking for someone?' Maleficent's creepy voice sounded behind us, and Riku spun around quickly. 

'In a way . . .' he answered.

'Here,' she beckoned to him. 'Follow me . . .' Riku followed her through the doors back into the Third District, then pointed through a window into a small house, where Sora was laughing with Donald, Goofy, and three other figures. 

'You see?' Maleficent questioned. 'It's just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, now he values them for more than he does you. You're better off without that wretched boy. Now, think no more of him, and come with me. I'll help you find what you're searching for . . .' She opened a portal behind us, and placed a hand on Riku's upper arm, guiding him into the portal as he stared behind at Sora, who just merrily laughed as his best friend was led away from him.

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Ari: **stares at computer screen** . . . wow. That was five pages long.  
Riku: Is that supposed to mean anything?  
Ari: Well . . . **is a bit hesitant to reveal this** in _your_ Reflections, the chapters were only three pages long normally. Only the epilogue was five pages.  
Riku: **takes it amazingly well** But that wasn't the entire story.  
Ari: True . . . and I finished outlining this, and it's less chapters than yours—I think.  
Riku: And didn't you say you were going to stretch it back to the beginning? **snerk**  
Ari: Yup. Though . . . I found a plot bunny that won't leave me alone! **fumes** I don't have the time to work on three stories—heck, I'm having trouble just doing this one and Crossed Trails.  
Riku: **exasperated look and is thankful she has no time for the last story** Thank the paopu . . .  
Ari: Hey! I didn't say I wasn't writing it . . . I'm just not posting it until A) this story is finished, and B) I finish that one so that I'm not typing up the entire chapter the night before it has to be posted.  
Riku: That's your own fault. You should've gotten the script part printed out you needed earlier—  
Ari: Meh. I'm lazy.  
Riku: Though not lazy enough to not write, I see . . .  
Ari: =^_^=

Thanks to the following reviewers!

~ Pezman ~  
. . . not really? ^^;; It's a bit hard to understand, but Kairi being a part of Riku and Sora has nothing to do with her heart.   
Sorry if it sounds a bit . . . strange, but by the end of this fic, it'll be clear, and I love my idea on it **lol**

~ YamiMarita ~  
**blinks** What do you mean, all this time? **doesn't get it** But, yeah, she was in Riku, then she was in Sora, and now she's in Riku again! ((for the time being . . . ^^;;;))  
YAY I'm doing a fantastic job! **bows at the 'Bravo's** =^_^= I'm working hard on having the time to write, and luckily, normally in study hall, after finishing everything, I have about 15 minutes to write! Fwee! Then I write through Chem sometimes . . . yes, people need to update **coughcough** heh, anyways . . . **happiness ensues as Ari wastes everyone's time**

~ TennyoAngel711 ~  
Me? Understanding?  
Riku: **mutters** that's a first . . .  
Ari: **brandishes Sephiroth's sword** Hush, you.  
Riku: Remind me to make sure Y.B. can't 'help' you cheat and win next week . . .  
Ari: =^_^= Anyways . . . rings! **needs a ring** meh.   
Heh, yup, Kairi can't **only** be with Sora, right? Riku needs a little love, too! ((I think everyone wants to be in Riku, too, and I also think that doesn't sound right . . . ^^;;;))  
Yeap, I'm working hard on the reasoning why Riku's working with Maleficent and Ansem, because he just **wouldn't** for no good reason . . .  
**waits for chapter 2** 

~ Samurainoble ~  
That, my dear, is what is called 'Artistic license'. I get to twist this story around however I want it to, so long as it stays true to canon! The only thing they really said was that Kairi's heart was within Sora. They never said when . . . we all assume that it was the Secret Place, but really, do we know?   
**blinks** Whoa. I just pulled an Artemis.  
Riku: It must be the afteraffects of that rpg.  
Ari: That gave me a headache . . . anyways, I'm glad that you think this is interesting and that I got Maleficent's portrayal right, tis what I'm aiming for!! ^_^

Special thanks to Outlaw-Lanaya for putting me on your Favourite Authors list!! ^____^

**Ari passes out** I've got over ten people putting me on their Favourite Authors' lists . . . in my experience, it's harder to get onto a Favourite Author list than a Favourite Stories list . . . **sobs** I feel so loved!  
Tom: You shouldn't. It's not healthy.  
Y.B.: Neither is this. **fwaps Ari** Stop feeling special/loved! You're not!  
Ari: x.x itai . . . 


	4. a conscience challenged

**Title:** Reflections: Kairi ( 4 / ? )  
**Author name:** Ari Powwel  
**Author email:** eight_muses@hotmail.com  
**Spoilers:** . . . a lot . . .  
**Summary: ****speeds up story-time** Monstro arrives this chapter.  
**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by various publishers including but not limited to Disney Interactive and Square Co., Ltd. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**  
Author's Notes:** So I'm confusing a lot of you? Good, cos Kairi's confuseled, too. ^_^ all WILL be explained, though . . .  
Yeah. Sorry for taking so long on this, but . . . Kairi sort of pissed me off. ((Quote: 'You didn't see Riku? He'll be all right. He can take care of himself.'))  
Plus the PotO/KH bunny caught up to me. It's a rabid one, and it's all I can do to keep it under control. (Underneath desk, bunny gnaws on the hem of Ari's jeans. 'Stoppit!' Ari tells it, but will it listen? No.) 40 handwritten pages in three weeks . . . O.O  
Note: this chapter is choppy; Kairi jumps around a lot. I'd prefer her not to, but it wouldn't work out any other way.  
**Note**: This will get extremely confusing later on, so here's the code:  
_Italics:_ Kairi's thoughts  
// slashes \\: Sora's thoughts  
|| lines ||: Riku's thoughts  
~ tildes ~: Someone's thoughts (muaha. Mysteriousness? Probably not. -_-")  
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I watched through Riku's eyes again, saddened. Riku had just _kidnapped_ someone. I still couldn't understand the logic behind his actions. Why would he have done that?

'That smarmy vizier could've had 'em—if someone had stuck around to give him a hand.' A greyish figure glared at Riku, hair burning brightly. ||Why? Do I really want to hurt Sora?||

'Hey, I did my part,' Riku defended himself. ||Even if he _is_ being an annoying git, I don't want to harm my friends . . .|| 'I brought the princess, didn't I?' I felt a stab of resentment flow through him. So far, I'd been learning about my current state. Apparently, I could enter someone's body and listen to their thoughts, as well as know what they felt and such. However, it had only worked with two people at the present: Riku and Sora.

'Jafar was beyond help,' Maleficent pardoned, 'consumed by his own hatred. One should beware of letting it burn too fiercely.'

_||I wonder if she knows how much I hate her,_|| Riku and I both thought. ||Is she cautioning me? Or him?|| Riku wondered.

Apparently, the other man thought she meant him. 'Whoa, whoa, whoa,' he waved his hands. 'Lighten up. I'm as cool as they come, okay?' He turned to Riku and me. 'By the way, kid, have we got something special for you.'

'Huh?' ||Why would they do anything for me . . . what do they want now?||

'We had a deal, yes?' Maleficent 'questioned'. 'You helped us, and we grant you your wish . . .' she gestured, and an image of my unconscious body appeared over the table.

'Kairi!' Riku said, mentally shouting the same. 

'Go to her,' Maleficent told him. 'Your vessel is waiting.' ||So . . . they _are_ following through on what they said . . . more than I could say for Sora, at least.||

'Aww . . .' I whispered. Poor Riku. He couldn't tell I was there, and Sora was with those other two . . . he must have been feeling rather abandoned.

'Just remember, this is no pleasure cruise,' a man ordered. He stepped forward from out of the shadows, and I saw he was wearing a sort of pirate's outfit. 'It won't be a pleasant voyage.' He seemed extremely annoyed that Riku was coming with him.

'Why are you doing all this for me? What's the catch?' Riku asked suspiciously.

'Catch? What's the catch? Silly boy,' Maleficent let out a fake chuckle. 'You're like a son to me.' She touched a bony hand to Riku's face; I felt him shudder mentally, though he didn't on the outside. Typical Riku, never showing his emotions. 'I only want you to be happy.'

_You do not!_ I hollered. _You only want him to do your bidding, you lying hag!_

Riku seemed to catch my train of thought and he stepped back, shoving Maleficent's hand away. 'I seriously doubt that.'

'Believe what you wish. But lest we forget, I kept my end of the bargain.' Maleficent drawled, infuriating me. 

_If you'd kept—you—YOU! You lying __oban__, I can't believe you!_ As Riku left the room, I continued ranting, barely noticing when we boarded a ship.

*        *        *

'Activate Warp-G!' Captain Hook shouted. As the ship shot forward, Riku seized the railing, slightly off-balance. 

'What is it?'

'A whale!'

'A _giant_ whale!'

'It's Monstro!'

'Monstro?'

'What's that?'

'Never heard of it.'

A giant whale passed by the ship; I gawked. How could this whale fly around in . . . well, wherever we were. 'Whoops,' one of the pirates smirked, 'accidentally' swinging into Riku and knocking him overboard. _What was_ that?! _Pirates . . . more trouble than they're worth. Not that they're worth any trouble in the first place . . ._ Riku let out a yell; I heard Captain Hook calling something that sounded suspiciously like, 'Excellent work, lads! No-one commands the crew but me.'

I looked down. Possibly not the best idea . . . no, definitely not the best idea. Monstro circled under us, mouth opened wide in anticipation. _Eew . . . about to be eaten by a whale._ I wrinkled my nose in disgust, but there was nothing to be done as Monstro's giant jaws closed around us.

*        *        *

'A deal's a deal, Genie. Now, you can go anywhere you want. You're your own master. But if you can, it'd be great if you could go along with them and help Sora find Jasmine,' a dark haired boy said, apparently to the vivid blue genie.

Genie sniffed. 'Sorry, Al, I'm done taking orders from others.' He turned, crossing his arms. After a moment, however, his shoulders lowered, and he turned around, smiling. 'But . . . a favour, now that's entirely different. I guess I could give that a try. After all, we're pals, right, Al?' 

//That's Genie . . .\\ Sora said to himself, and unintentionally, me. //Always trying to help . . . well, Aladdin, at least.\\

'Genie . . .' Aladdin was at a loss for words.

'Just leave it to me.' Genie grinned, and I smiled. It was nice, how Genie was willing to help Aladdin, who just sighed, though he smiled, and ran his fingers through his hair.

'So, you're coming along with us, Genie?' Sora asked.

Genie grinned. 'Looks like it!'

'Where should we go next? Where would they all be . . .' Sora wondered. 

_Well, Riku's kinda troubled right now, I mean, he's stuck inside a whale. Speaking of which, I wonder how he is . . ._

*        *        *

Riku woke slowly; I watched with a worried feeling pounding at me. He shook his head, looking around. 

'What are you doing here?' asked a small wooden puppet. Riku looked at him with a confused expression. 

'What? Where . . . where are we?' He looked around. 'Are we inside that whale?'

'Yep,' the puppet nodded. 'Welcome to Monstro.'

'Who . . . are you?' 

'I'm Pinocchio!' He smiled. 'Who're you?'

'I'm Riku. Do you know how to get out of here?'

'Yeah! . . . no. Well, I know how to get out of _here_,' Pinocchio gestured to their surroundings, 'but not how to get out of Monstro.'

'You mean you don't have any gummis?'

'What's a gummi?' 

They hadn't heard of gummis? I thought everyone had heard of them. At least, most people I'd met knew what they were and what they did.

Riku sighed. 'A gummi is a large, brightly coloured substance. You could use it to blast out of here . . . but if you don't have any—'

'Hey, I think we have some of those!' Pinocchio dashed through a tunnel. Riku tried to follow him, but the puppet had gotten a bit of a start: Riku had just regained consciousness, and he'd been on his back. Even one of his vaults that had always knocked Sora down couldn't get him up fast enough to catch the wooden boy.

'Pinocchio!' he shouted, but the living marionette was too far gone and didn't reply. Riku cursed, then took a few steps into the next chamber. 'Which way did he go?'

_I wonder why he took off so suddenly . . ._ _what was so important he left Riku back here?_ I watched Riku close his eyes, concentrating, then choose a direction and stride through the darkened doorway. After passing through this one, he did the same thing.

_What is he doing? Can he tell where Pinocchio went?_

After awhile, we reached another doorway. Riku strode through without hesitation; I followed behind him. In front of us was obviously the mouth of Monstro. Wood was heaped everywhere, and a light was shining from the deck of what seemed to be half a ship. Sora and his two other friends stood on deck with Pinocchio and another, white-haired man, clad in the same type of attire the former had. 'Oh, my. So the whale swallowed all of you, too? My goodness . . .' the white-haired man said.

'Yeah, looks like it,' Sora confirmed.

'My name is Geppetto. I'm Pinocchio's father. When we were separated, I travelled all over, looking for him. Thank goodness we're together again.'

Pinocchio looked over at us, but Riku surprised me by running back into the bowels of Monstro. Aware that I couldn't let him go off by himself, I followed.

However, he only dashed through the near doorway and stopped, watching. Pinocchio appeared, looking around. 'Riku?!' he cried out. 'Where are you?'

'What are you doing?' asked Sora. 'Come on, let's go back.' 

'You know, Geppetto's awfully worried about you,' Goofy said.

When Pinocchio didn't move, Sora seemed to get a bit frustrated. 'Pinocchio, stop fooling around! This is no time for games!' He turned and began walking out of the chamber, assuming that Pinocchio was following him. 

_|_|Why is he automatically fooling around? Is there no way he could possibly be doing something worthwhile?||  
I jumped. How could I hear Riku's thoughts? I wasn't with him at the moment . . . _Riku . . . you know Sora's not like that! Geppetto hasn't seen his boy in awhile; Sora only wants to reunite them . . ._

'But Sora, I thought you liked games,' Riku said, stepping from the shadows.  
//Riku!\\  
Now I was hearing Sora's thoughts? How could this be?  
'Or are you too cool to play them now that you have the Keyblade?' Riku asked.

'Riku!' Sora shouted. 'Wh—what are you doing here?'

'Just playing with Pinocchio.' 

'You know what I mean!'

||I do, do I?||

'What about Kairi?' Sora questioned. 'Did you find her?'

||As if you care.|| 

_Of course he cares, Riku! He cares about all of us!_

'Maybe,' Riku replied coolly. 'Catch us, and maybe I'll tell you what I know.'

//This is no time for games! What about Kairi?!\\ 'Come on!'

Riku grabbed Pinocchio's hand, and the two of them dashed off through an opening. I followed them; I couldn't trust Riku not to get into trouble now. Not with people like Maleficent getting into his head . . .

'Why do you still care about that boy?' Maleficent asked. 'He has all but deserted you for the Keyblade and his new companions, after all.'

||He has. He doesn't care anymore. He only cares about showing off the Keyblade. But . . . it's still Sora.|| 'I don't care about him. I was just,' Riku paused, 'messing with him a little.'

_Riku, you know you're lying._ I glared at Maleficent. Why did she have to prey upon innocent people? She'd been messing with Riku's mind since before we'd even left the island! Why couldn't she just leave him alone?

'Oh, really?' Maleficent didn't seem to be questioning his answer, but the validity of it. 'Of course you were. Beware the darkness in your heart. The Heartless prey upon it.'

Riku glared at her. 'Mind your own business.'

Maleficent merely smiled her odd, scary smile and exited, a la a dark portal. I glared after her. What place did she have, making friends turn against each other?

||I don't care what she says. I _don't_ care about him. I can't. He doesn't care about Kairi nor me. Only his friends.||

_Riku, you_ are _his friend! You_ know _that! Of_ course _he still cares about us._

Riku roamed through the endless maze with Pinocchio some more, aimlessly traipsing the chambers. But finally—'Riku!' Sora cried, as he, Donald, and Goofy caught up to us. 'What's the matter with you, Riku? What are you thinking? Don't you realise what you're doing?'

||What _I'm_ doing? What about what _you're_ doing?!|| 'I was about to ask you the same thing, Sora. You only seem interested in running around and showing off that Keyblade these days. Do you even want to save Kairi?'

Sora stopped short. //Kairi . . .\\ 'I do.'

||Do you really? Do you—||

'Help!!' Pinocchio's cry carried through the room. Riku and Sora both ran through the door it was coming from, and we were all met by a strange sight. Pinocchio was trapped inside a pinkish, living, gel-like cage. 'It's scary in here!' he shouted at us.

'You up for this?' Riku asked Sora, drawing a blade. It was like a reddish wing, with a blue-black handle.

'No problem,' responded Sora, the Keyblade appearing in his hand. He stepped back into an offensive stance. 'Let's do it!'

'Hmph.'

As Riku leapt off the ledge towards the cage, the three of us, simultaneously, thought the same thing:

**|| // This _is the way it should be._ \\ ||**

With the two boys working together, the cage-like thing was defeated easily. The cage grabbed something in the upper part of the chamber and, lifting itself off the ground, spat out Pinocchio, who hurtled through a hole that opened up in the floor. Riku, without hesitation, jumped through after him, regardless of what lay below. Sora, after a moment of hesitation, followed, as did I.

I let out a shout as I saw the 'water' of the mouth coming up to meet me, and as I dropped into it, a single thought passed through my mind. _Eew . . ._

//Riku, what are you doing?\\

'Pinocchio! Pinocchio!' Geppetto was shouting as I climbed out of the liquid, onto the boat. 'Please, give me back my son!'

I followed his gaze and groaned. _Riku, why?_

'Sorry, old man,' responded Riku, the unconscious puppet tucked under his arm. 'I have some unfinished business with this puppet.'

'He's no puppet!' argued Geppetto. 'Pinocchio is my little boy!'

'He _is_ unusual,' allowed Riku. 'Not many puppets have hearts. I'm not sure, but maybe he can help someone who's lost theirs.' ||Kairi . . . maybe this one's pure heart can help you.||

I blinked hard. _What?_ I had lost my heart? But . . . I was right here!

//Lost their heart? Who—\\ 'Wait a minute,' Sora realised. 'Are you talking about Kairi?'

'What do you care about her?' Riku spat. ||Maleficent was right; all you care about is that Keyblade.|| Riku strode away, ignoring Sora and my shouts at him. 

'Don't worry,' Sora assured Geppetto. 'We'll get him back.' //I hope . . .\\

I was already gone, leading the way to Riku. I knew where he was, almost instinctively. It seemed that Sora did, too, as we reached him rather quickly. As we entered the chamber, Sora shouted, 'Hey! Let Pinocchio go, Riku!'

||Why?|| 'A puppet that's lost its heart to the Heartless . . . maybe it holds the key to helping Kairi. How about it, Sora? Let's join forces to save her. We can do it, together.' 

_Riku, this isn't you. Why are you like this all of a sudden?_

//He's changed. At first I thought it was just his protective-ness of all of us, but . . . something's changed. It's like he's barely himself, anymore.\\

_You're right, Sora._

Sora readied his Keyblade, a golden claw-like end. //Three Wishes. I wish . . . I wish everything was back to normal!\\

'What?' Riku sounded astounded. 'You'd rather fight me? Over a puppet that has no heart?' ||So your loyalties lie to a puppet over your oldest friend . . .||

'Heart or no heart, at least he still has a conscience.' Sora answered.

'Conscience?' Riku repeated. ||But . . . all I want to do is save Kairi. My conscience tells me I'm in the right.||

~That's right, Riku. _You_ are in the right. That horror, Sora, is in the wrong. He's left you and Kairi behind in exchange for a fancy weapon that's not even his!~

I started. Who was _that_?

'You might not hear it, but right now, it's loud and clear,' said Sora, as a small cricket hopped across to Pinocchio. 'And it's telling me you're on the wrong side!'

~The boy lies, Riku. He only wants you to agree with him, so that everything will be his glory!~

'Then you leave me no choice,' stated Riku.

I missed the conversation between Pinocchio and the cricket, as a separate, rather interesting exchange was taking place.

//Riku, I don't believe that you've really turned. I can't.\\

_He hasn't! Riku, you're still you, right?_

~You see? That boy doesn't care about you, or Kairi either! He's only focused on furthering his own power.~

||Sora's not like that!||

_You tell him!_

~Maybe not before, but look at him now. That smug smile, the arrogant stride . . .~

_What? Sora doesn't have those!_

||I don't see that in him—||

~Look closer . . . see it in him.~

||. . . I see.||

~Look up, now.~

Riku looked up, his eyes widened slightly, and he stepped back. The same pinkish-reddish cage from before dropped to where he'd been standing, and a blueish-purpleish-blackish portal appeared behind him. Sora shouted his name as he reached a hand into the portal and disappeared into it. I followed him; that voice was worth investigating . . . with a last look at Sora, I followed him through.

//Riku! Riku, where are you?!\\

'So . . . Kairi's like a lifeless puppet now?' Riku asked Maleficent, oblivious to Sora's shouts. I glared at Maleficent; she had brought Riku back to the ship and presented him with my lifeless body. What a welcoming.

||Kairi . . .||

'Precisely,' answered the witch.

'And her heart . . . was . . .' Riku's voice held an unmistakable tremor in it, which surprised me. He'd rarely shown emotion on the islands, holding it inside. It had irritated me sometimes, but now, I'd prefer his normal, emotion-less tones. _Nothing's like before_.

'Taken by the Heartless, no doubt,' Maleficent supplied.

'Tell me!' Riku cried suddenly, turning around quickly to face the witch. His fists were clenched, and a dash of red brushed his cheeks. 'What can I do?'

_Don't do anything for her, Riku. I'll be fine, I swear! Just don't do anything rash!_

'There are seven maidens of the purest heart. We call them the princesses of heart. Gther them together, and a door will open to the heart of all worlds. Within lies untold wisdom. There, you will surely find a way to recover Kairi's heart. Now, I'll grant you a marvellous gift: the power to control the Heartless.' Maleficent held up a hand, covering Riku in a green light. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply as it covered and penetrated his soul. 

~Excellent . . . all goes according to plan . . .~

Riku turned to my body, an unknown emotion flashing through his eyes. 'Soon, Kairi. Soon.'

_Nothing's like before . . ._

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O.O that took SO long to do . . . I couldn't write after I saw what Kairi said. 

Good news: Ari finished Kingdom Hearts in Expert Mode, she acquired the Ultima Weapon, and thought that it was über-easy to defeat Ansem at the end.

Thanks to the following reviewers:

~ Mizutaka ~  
**parties at the Sophomores' pride party** Yeah! And the first six weeks is over and I have all As . . . O.O last year I got two Cs. Maybe this year won't be so bad after all! **celebrates**  
O.O I'm doing Kairi's characterisation right?! I really didn't think so . . . I seriously don't like Kairi at all **giggles** so why am I writing this? I don't know . . . XD but really, she doesn't do anything through the game except be a little . . . annoying thing. Growl. But hey, she's there and I need to stop hating her.  
Fwee! I'm original! I feel special!!  
(Tom: Hey! We said you weren't allowed feeling special! **thwaps**  
Ari: x.x itai . . .)  
Yeah, I always thought that something had happened with Riku. There's no way he'd ever do anything he did if he hadn't been . . . **tries to find a word** told otherwise? Biased? Ehh, you know what I mean.  
I'm confused about Riku, too . . . dammit, he needs to help me out again. But actually, I need a Kairi muse to help . . . **starts looking**  
Well, Kairi can't really do anything else **giggles** but I dunno if she's having the time of her life . . . her two best friends are in this fight and she can't do anything. (OOH! Pink elephant song! **grins**) But I happy, I know what's happening . . . I just need to write it **snerk** but I don't think it'll happen **sweatdrops** My ygo addiction is starting up again and I'm scripting episodes for my webpages . . . O.   
This chapter took awhile, don't you think? **laughs** ah well, I hope it was worth the wait!

~ Yami Marita ~  
Ahh, it's all coming together now. (**cracks up** I use that line a lot, it's from The Emperor's New Groove . . . oh, yay, it's the Peter Pan part!)  
No . . . time . . . I'm at school Monday—Thursday until 5PM at the earliest, except Fridays, in which case I leave at 2:30 and come back at 4:30, then stay til around 10 . . . x.x  
Yay! Wonderful job from Ari? (**hides to avoid another thwapping**) I feel bad for making everyone wait so long for this chapter . . . (ooh, swordfight! **bursts out laughing again**)

~ DClick ~  
**nods** must speed up story . . . XD I couldn't write Kairi just jumping around watching everyone's thoughts . . . ehh, boring!  
You're confuseled, but I'm not. I know exactly what's happening, and I have the explanation included in a later chapter, as part of the story! **beams**  
Well, I just got a one-shot bunny last night, so it could be four . . . **thinks** Five: this one, Crossed Trails, that PotO/KH bunny caught up (I know you know that one ^^;), the one shot, and I need to get started on my contest entry for Zoo's contest . . . hmm.  
I find it hard to get on people's Favourite Authors lists . . . -_-" I've been on since November 2001, though I never posted anything . . . only a Mary-Sue HP story (O.O) which was taken down a long time ago, and then I've only been writing since July, I guess you could say.  
And your stories ARE good! **thwaps for saying they're not** I like 'em! **beams** Muaha. (Yes . . . I caught the ^^;, just didn't acknowledge it :p)

~ Safire Ranmako ~  
You almost didn't read it? Will you tell me why? (don't take it as a 'omfg someone said they wouldn't read my story grr', I just want to know why so that I could possibly fix it . . . XD)  
Glad to hear you think it's good, and . . . I'm _trying_ to keep going . . . not sure if it'll move though . . . XD

Ari's patented method of hiding papers parent's shouldn't find: Hide them in the back of the paper shredder (take off the top and put the papers in the back) XD

Again, I apologise for the delay in this chapter.

Question: Would you prefer this to be written  
     ~ As from Reflections: Riku (i.e., the added part where Riku and Sora talk during the battle)  
     ~ Normal (script)


	5. a friend found

**Title:** Reflections: Kairi ( 5 / ? )  
**Author name:** Ari Powwel  
**Author email:** eight_muses@hotmail.com  
**Spoilers:** . . . a lot . . .  
**Summary: **Neverland this chapter.  
**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by various publishers including but not limited to Disney Interactive and Square Co., Ltd. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**  
Author's Notes:** Well, I'm back once again. Rejoice. I'm also cutting myself short on Author's Notes and such.  
**Thoughts Notes**: Since Kairi can now hear both Sora and Riku's thoughts, here's how they'll be shown (as it will be extremely confusing otherwise):  
_Italics:_ Kairi's thoughts  
// slashes \\: Sora's thoughts  
|| lines ||: Riku's thoughts  
~ tildes ~: Someone's thoughts (This someone has already probably been guessed by all of you -_-")  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I frowned. Captain Hook's ship had appeared before Sora's ship, and the Excalibur slammed into the prow, sending the three figures out of the ship. Donald and Goofy had been taken away by some of the crew, but Sora had been left alone. He had just woken up, and from what I could tell, wasn't in the best of health. _Light, Sora . . ._

'I didn't think you'd come, Sora,' came the superiour voice of Riku. Sora gasped as he staggered to his feet; I let out a somewhat frustrated yell. 'Good to see you again.' 

_Light, he makes it sound as if it's a joke!_

'Where are Donald and Goofy?' Sora demanded.

|| Hmph. More worried about your new friends than someone you haven't seen for a long time? I should have expected it. ||

I winced. That was extremely harsh.

~ Of course. You know that _boy_ only cares about his replacements. Why would he spare emotion for his old friends? He doesn't need you anymore . . . he doesn't even care that you could have passed death already. ~

I sighed, that voice, though a bit creepy at first, just seemed to be repeating the same things over and over. But . . . the way it talked . . . the voice was slick, as though layering his voice with a hypnotic tone.

'Are they that important to you? More important than old friends?' Riku questioned. 'Instead of worrying about them, you should be asking . . . about her.' He stepped aside, revealling my body propped up against a pole. I shuddered; saying 'my body' was still a bit unnerving.

'Kairi!' cried Sora.

'That's right,' confirmed Riku. 'While you were off goofing around, I finally found her.'

|| While you were off playing with the Keyblade . . . I was searching, always searching. ||

// Goofing around? What does he thing I've been doing all this time, sitting around doing nothing? \\

~ Of course, you were always searching. We both know that. And now, perhaps the girl will love you? ~

Riku flushed a bit, as did I. However, Sora didn't seem to notice, charging forward, only to be stopped by a silver, wicked-looking hook. 'Not so fast,' drawled the familiar, sinister voice of Captain Hook. 'No shenanigans aboard my vessel, boy.' As he spoke, he, Mr Smee (the first mate), and several Heartless ringed Sora.

'Riku, why are you siding with the Heartless?' Sora shouted. // Can't you see what they're doing to you? \\

'The Heartless obey me now, Sora. Now, I have nothing to fear.' Riku answered coolly.

'You're stupid,' accused Sora. 'Sooner or later, they'll swallow your heart.'

_Sora! That was an awful thing to say! . . . Though it could be true . . ._

'Not a chance,' retorted Riku. 'My heart's too strong.'

~ It is, boy. Your heart is far too strong to be stolen by the Heartless. They could never touch you. You know why he's saying that . . . ~

|| Because he wants me to give up my power so that he'll be the most powerful of us and he can save Kairi without my help . . . || replied Riku dully. 

~ Exactly. ~

|| I just can't believe Sora would do that. ||

_Trust yourself, Riku, you know he wouldn't. Why would you believe this . . . this_ thing_?_

~ Oh, but he did, child. You have the proof before you! ~

|| No. ||

~ Oh, yes . . . yes, he did. ~

'And I've picked up a few other tricks as well. Like this, for instance.' Riku gestured, and a shadow-copy of Sora appeared before Sora, eyes glowing yellow. 

~ Wonderful. ~

'You can go see your friends, now . . .' A hatch opened beneath Sora, and the russet-haired boy fell through. 

|| I still don't believe you. ||

~ You don't have to, ~ the voice cackled. ~ But how else to you expect to find the girl's heart if you can't cooperate? ~

|| . . . I can't. ||

~ Precisely. You have no choice. ~

I shuddered. That voice . . . was so cold. So unfeeling. It was as if the voice drew joy from the internal struggles of people. But what was it? It frustrated me that I couldn't figure out where it was from, and I knew that the voice was somehow dictating Riku's actions, and . . . it frightened me, a bit. On the islands, Riku would never follow another's orders. If someone gave him an command, he would do the exact opposite, even if he had already begun to do what the person instructed, he would stop and do the contrary. That someone could make Riku willingly obey them was as if the sky had turned pink.

'Yeah, it was definitely Kairi. I've finally found her,' Sora nodded. 

'All right! Then, let's go up and talk to her.' Goofy said.

'Yeah!' Sora cheered.

'Sounds great. Okay. But first . . . how's about getting off?!' Donald squawked. I giggled; Sora was lying on his back on Goofy's back, who in turn, was sprawled over Donald, creating a small pile. 

Sora looked down at Donald, seemingly noticing the heap for the first time. 'Oh,' he smiled sheepishly. 'Sorry.' He slid down from the stack, laughing slightly. I smiled; it was nice to see that Sora was still himself in the middle of all this mess. _Unlike Riku._

'So . . . how do we get out?' wondered Sora. 'The door's probably locked . . .'

A cough came from above them. 'How ya doin' there?' asked a red-haired boy, clothed in greens, floating down from the ceiling. I blinked. How could he fly? 'Looking for a way out?' he continued.

'Who are you?' Goofy asked.

_That's what I'd like to know . . ._

'I'm the answer to your prayers,' responded the boy. I couldn't hold back a laugh. _That was . . . cliché . . ._

Donald gave him a skeptical look, tapping his foot and folding his arms. 

'Okay, then. Fine,' the boy shrugged. 'Have it your way.'

'But . . . you're stuck in here, too, aren't you?' Sora queried.

'No,' the burgundy-haired boy said firmly. 'I'm just waiting for someone.'

'Who?'

As if on cue, a small golden light flew through a hole in the door, soaring around quickly, in tight circles, leaving a trail of golden dust behind her. The light floated before the boy's face. 'Tinkerbell . . . what took you so long?' he questioned.

The light, which was revealled to be a pixie, now that she had stopped fluttering her wings, gestured and mouthed rapidly. Although I couldn't understand her, the boy seemed to as he praised, 'Great job. So you found Wendy?'

Tinkerbell answered him again, and for a second time, I didn't hear her response. 'Hold on,' the boy frowned, eyebrows coming closer together. 'There was another girl there, too?' At Tinkerbell's response, he frowned harder (if it was possible). 'Are you crazy? There's no way I'm gonna leave Wendy there!'

_How can he speak to that fairy? And what's his name, anyways?_ I wondered, as Donald laughed.

'She must be pretty jealous.'

Tinkerbell's skin glowed with a slight reddish tinge, and she kicked Donald's beak, then flew off. 'Come on, Tink!' the redhead called after her. 'Open up the door!'

Sora cleared his throat, and the boy turned back to him. 'I'm Peter Pan,' he introduced himself, putting a hand out.

'I'm Sora,' Sora replied, looking at Peter's hand. 

As he reached out to shake it, Peter pulled it back suddenly, proclaiming, 'Okay, we're in this together, but only 'til we find Wendy.'

I shook my head. _He's a bit . . . bad-tempered._ _I wonder who this Wendy is . . . and why Peter's so focused on saving her._ I followed Sora out of the hold, still wondering to myself. I paid no attention to where we were going, as Heartless didn't effect me, and so I paid them no mind. My thoughts were rather scrambled, making no sense to me. All questions seemed to come back to the same questions: Why had Riku allied himself with the darkness? Who was that strange voice that spoke to him? Why did Riku believe that Sora didn't care about us anymore?

'So, uh, how come you can fly?' Goofy asked Peter, who didn't walk, merely floated a few inches above ground.

'Anyone can fly,' answered Peter. 'You wanna try?' Without waiting for a reply, he called for Tinkerbell, who reappeared in a trail of light. 'Aww, haven't you cooled off yet, Tink?' He shook his head, telling her what he wanted. She flew overhead, and Sora, Donald, and Goofy were sprinkled in the dust that fell from her sparkling wings. 'Just a little bit of pixie dust . . .' muttered Peter as she flew. 'There!' he announced, 'Now you can fly.'

Donald leapt into the air and flapped his arms rapidly, but plummeted back to the boards of the ship with a dull _thud_. I giggled as he tapped his fingers on the ground in irritation again.

We traipsed around the decks awhile longer, before Tinkerbell crossed in front of Peter again, trying to get his attention. 'What is it, Tink?' he asked the irate pixie, who answered him quickly. Peter started to reply, but—

'Peter?' a female voice called from above. 'Peter Pan?'

'Wendy!' Peter shouted, floating up to a grate. 

'Please hurry!' Wendy cried. 'The pirates are coming!'

'What?! I'll be right up there, just hold on!' Peter told her.

'Wendy?' Sora asked cautiously.

'Yes?'

'Is . . . is there another girl in there with you?' // I hope . . . \\

There was a moment's pause, then, 'Oh, why, yes. But she seems to be asleep. She hasn't budged an inch.'

I had to raise an eyebrow at this. Asleep? There was quite a difference between asleep and heartless . . .  
'Kairi?' Sora asked. 'Kairi!'

I wanted to tell him that I was here, but I knew already that I couldn't. Instead, I focused all my being into physically telling him that I was there, but I couldn't see anything happen. There was a crash of wood on wood, and I watched my body being pulled up. 

'Wendy!' Peter hollered. 'Hey, let's get up there!' he told Sora, and the four proceeded to the next level, me following. I was a bit disappointed, to say the least, but there was no use looking back on the past (though I knew I did that often.). Peter pounded on the wooden door obstructing our way into the next room. 'Wendy, are you in there?' When no reply came, they forced the door open.

'They're not here,' Sora noted.

'What's that?' Goofy asked, pointing up. Everyone followed his finger and saw a ladder, hanging on the ceiling by a small latch. 

'Everyone out of the way,' Peter declared, flying up and sliding the latch to the other side, sending the ladder swinging down as if on a hinge. Goofy reached out and caught the ladder as it fell, bringing it to its final resting spot on the ground gently. We all climbed it and advanced into what seemed to be the captain's cabin.

'Riku, wait!' cried Sora. // What are you _doing?!_ \\ The source of his agitation was instantly revealed as I emerged into the cabin. Riku was cradling me in his arms, standing at the door. 

|| Why? ||

I sighed. _Not this again . . ._

Riku gave Sora a slightly-irate look and stepped back, a shadow sliding across the ground under his feet. The shadow-like copy of Sora from before sprang up, and as Sora pulled out the Keyblade to take care of it, Riku disappeared.

// Riku! \\ Sora cried, slashing at the Antisora and trying to catch a glimpse of the boy. It puddled beneath his feet and sprang up behind him, striking his back.

|| I'll just . . . leave you to your game. ||

_Riku . . . !_

Sora let out a yell as the Antisora darted behind him, swinging the Keyblade and using the momentum to propel him around to face the shadow. He drove the Keyblade into its shadow-flesh, smiling grimly as the Heartless burst into smoke, a heart rising from the destruction to return to its owner. 'Finally,' he groaned, letting the Keyblade disappear. _But to where?_ I wondered. Where did the Keyblade go? 'Now, let's go. We've gotta find Kairi and Riku! Again.'

'And Wendy,' Peter reminded him.

'Right. And Wendy.' I giggled; that was so like Sora. 'But where could they be?' Sora continued.

'Hey, Sora . . . didja notice that?' Goofy asked, pointing at his feet. I looked down, as did Sora. Under Sora's feet was a trapdoor. 'Maybe . . . maybe they're down there!'

Sora nodded. 'You're right, Goofy.' He crossed to the other side of the room. 'Because . . . we were here . . . the wall was here,' he stood in about the centre of the room and jumped, heels slamming into the floor with a dull _thud_, 'and so their room was right here!' He bent down, fiddling with the latch on the trapdoor. A moment later, the door dropped open, and we all dropped down into the room.

'Wendy!' cried Peter, crossing over to a girl. She had brown hair, pulled back by a blue ribbon. She wore a blue nightgown, and a pair of blue slippers covered her feet. However, she didn't seem to be conscious, and as Tinkerbell flew around Peter's head in dizzying circles, he said, 'Come on, Tink. Not now!' He turned to us. 'Well, this is as far as I can go. I've gotta help Wendy!' With that, he scooped Wendy into his arms, flying up and out through the trapdoor. Tinkerbell followed, though at a slightly leisurely pace.

'Come on,' said Sora to Donald and Goofy. 'There's no-one else here.' He pushed through the door and made his way back into the captain's cabin, followed by Donald, Goofy, and myself. We exited the cabin, onto the main deck of the ship, but I was still preoccupied. I wondered about Riku, yet again. I hadn't heard that voice when we'd all been together in the cabin . . . was it possible that the voice had convinced Riku? Was it possible that Riku now hated Sora? Was it possible that Riku was acting of his own free will now? . . . I sincerely hoped not. I wished that we could all go back to Destiny Islands and be a trio once again, Sora running around challenging Tidus to duels every five minutes, Riku watching in amusement from his island as the two battled, me giggling at both and cheering them on as they fought.

'Quite a codfish, that Riku,' Captain Hook's voice broke into my thoughts. 'Running off with that girl without even saying goodbye.'

'Run off where?' Sora asked. 'Tell me, where did he go!'

'To the ruins of Hollow Bastion,' responded the captain, 'where Maleficent resides. But you won't be getting there.' He dangled a lantern in front of us, a familiar sprite trapped inside its glass walls. _Tinkerbell!_ 'Unless you intend to leave your little pixie friend behind?'

'No . . .' Sora said, Keyblade disappearing. A group of Heartless surrounded us, but Sora didn't seem to notice. Donald and Goofy clutched at their weapons, looking around, seemingly calculating the odds of the fight. 

'Hand over the Keyblade,' Captain Hook continued, 'and I'll spare your lives. Be glad I'm merciful, unlike the Heartless.' He gestured to the pirate-like Heartless enclosing us. 'So, which will it be? The Keyblade? Or the plank?'

A ticking sound rent the air; both the captain and I rushed to the side. I remembered what had happened when Riku and I boarded the ship for the first time. A crocodile had been circling the ship, and Captain Hook had gone mad, ranting about his hand and Peter Pan. Perhaps, if it was the same croc, we had a chance of escaping—although in reality, we didn't really need it. We could get away anyways. But still—'It's him!' the captain shouted. 'The crocodile that took me hand! Oh, Smee . . . He's after me other hand! Go away!' he bellowed at the crocodile. 'Oh, I can't stand the sight of him!' He climbed a ladder, and standing at the door of the cabin, he hollered, 'Smee, you take care of them!'

'All—all right,' Mr Smee stammered. 'Now, off the plank, off with all of you!' he flapped his hands at us herding the three (that he could actually see) to the plank. 'You, boy, you go first.'

With a disbelieving look, Sora strode to the end of the plank. _He's not actually going to jump, is he?_

Sora jumped.

I let out a shriek, dashing to the handrail. _Oh, Light, Sora . . ._ under him, the crocodile opened his mouth, anticipating a meal, but right as Sora was about to be devoured, he soared around the crocodile, skimming the water and reappearing above the ship. Peter flew down and snatched the lantern from Smee's hands, freeing Tinkerbell. 'Thanks, Peter,' Sora said.

Peter nodded. 'Hey, don't mention it. You didn't think I'd leave you and Tink behind, did you?'

_'Course not._ _I knew it all along._

Mr Smee ran away, much to all of our amusement, leaving us—or rather, them, as I couldn't do anything—to defeat the Heartless. Which they did, rather quickly, as Sora shouted, 'You're all going down!'

As the last Heartless exploded, Peter, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I crowded into the shadows around the cabin door. After a moment, though, I gave up and strode before them, watching the spectacle. Peter knocked on the door. 'Is that you, Smee?' the captain asked from the safety of his cabin. I noted that he still seemed a bit . . . afraid. 'Did you finish them off?

Peter pinched his nose, replying in a voice that sounded identical to Smee's, 'Aye, Captain. They walked the plank, every last one of them.'

The door burst open, the captain dashing out. He glanced around for Mr Smee, not noticing as Peter crept up behind him and poked him in the back with his dagger. 'P-Peter Pa—blast you!' the captain howled, drawing his sword.

'Ready to make a splash, you codfish?' Peter taunted. 'Now it's your turn to walk the plank!'

Peter and Captain Hook were soon engaged in a spellbinding swordfight, the rest of us watching from the sides. It seemed to be a conflict between the two, and so Sora didn't join in, Donald and Goofy following his example, or perhaps sensing the same thing. Captain Hook was deft of blade, and his sword reached further, but Peter had the advantage of flying around, which struck me as a bit unfair, but it was a pirate, so . . . I shrugged. Peter flew above the captain, shoving his dagger through the plumed hat he wore, and lifting it from his head. In response, the captain whirled, forcing Peter to drop the hat . . . onto his own head. He blocked the sword easily enough, parrying several times before driving Captain Hook to the rail and over. 'Blast you!' cried Hook again, falling into the water with a splash. As he reappeared, the crocodile's eyes bulged with glee, and Hook screamed, nearly running over the water, chased off by the crocodile.

Sora stood at a railing on one of the upper levels, staring into the sky above. A small smile was across his face, only visible by me because of my position next to him. 

_So, Sora . . . what next?_

'Uh, Kairi couldn't wake up, so maybe she's really lost her—' Goofy began, but Donald interrupted him with a shushing noise.

'I still can't believe it . . .' Sora said. 'I really flew. Wait 'til I tell Kairi. I wonder if she'll believe me . . . probably not.'

I giggled. _Of course I'll believe you, silly. I was right here, watching!_

'You can bring her to Neverland sometime,' Peter offered. 'Then, she can try it herself.'

_Really?_

'If you believe, you can do anything, right?' Sora questioned. 'I'll find Kairi. I know I will. There's so much I want to tell her—about flying, the pirates, and everything else that's happened.'

As Tinkerbell flew around the deck, finally stopping at Peter, I giggled again. _I'm right here, Sora. I've seen it . . . but . . . I wish we were_ all _together again._

'What's that, Tink? What about the clock tower?' Peter asked, and Tinkerbell repeated her statement. 'You say there's something there?' Tinkerbell nodded, and he called to Sora, 'C'mon, let's go!'

'Okay,' agreed Sora, and I grabbed onto his arm as he took off, along with everyone else, though I was unnoticed.

'You know, people from all over London look up at the clock tower,' Wendy informed us. 'But one of the clocks is wrong. Could you fix it, Sora?'

'Sure,' Sora agreed, jumping off the tower. I could tell he enjoyed the sensation of freefalling, because Peter even floated out to be sure he wasn't just falling, with no way of flying back up. Moments later, Sora appeared in front of the clock face again, and he struck the hands of the clock, pushing them forward until the clock struck midnight. I floated next to Sora, watching in interest as a white light appeared next to the number '3' on the clock. Another white light issued from Sora's Keyblade and went into the keyhole-shaped light, and as a clicking noise resonated from the 'lock', Sora noted to himself, // This world is locked. Now, it's safe from any Heartless that could threaten it. \\

_So _that's_ what it was. A Keyhole._

'Peter, are you really going back to Neverland?' Wendy asked.

'Afraid so . . .' Peter nodded. 'But we can see each other any time. As long as you don't forget about Neverland, that is.' He grasped her hand.

From where we were standing, Tinkerbell glowed a slight reddish colour. Donald laughed, but stopped quickly, remembering what had happened the last time. I laughed at Donald, and Sora bit his lip to keep from snickering.

'Oh, boy,' Peter saw Tinkerbell's irate expression. 'She's gettin' steamed again. Do me a favour. Look after her for me, will ya?'

'What?'

'Let Tinkerbell come with you,' Peter said.

' . . . okay . . .'

'And here, take this, too.' Peter handed Sora a keychain, a small red feather like the one in his cap dangling off the end. 

'Sora, thanks,' Wendy nodded to him. 'I'm sure you'll find who you're looking for.'

'How did you know I was looking for someone?' Sora asked, obviously a bit astounded.

'It's quite apparent,' Wendy smiled. 'You'll find her.'

// . . . but _when?_ \\

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That took awhile to write . . . but . . . I think it's an okay chapter, though not nearly one of the best x.x

Anyways, thankies to the following reviewers:

~ FlikFreak ~  
Heh, glad you like. You a Kairi fan?

~ DClick ~  
**nods** Chapters very confuseling. Very.   
I agree, final bosses shouldn't be wimps . . . though the first time I played it took me three hours to defeat Ansem the second time on Destiny Islands . . .   
Nuuu~!! R/K is the best!! **rabidly shipping R/K** And besides my initial explanation, they're cute together!! ^_^ Sora's a bit . . . no comment.

~ Mizutaka ~  
Tis the first!  
**drinks Pepsi** Yes, the never-ending Sophomore party!! **dances around** We got our first report cards: all As, except one B+ and one C (but she doesn't like me anyways . . . ;;)  
Yeah, Kairi just jumping around IS boring . . . I included this one because I thought I could work in a bunch of the one-sided conversations where Kairi hears both of them talking and talks also, but . . . **thwaps chapter** Ah well. Better to have some build-up chapters, ne?  
Yes, poor Riku-kun . . . **glomps** [Riku: -_-" Will you STOP?!] No. ^_^ (Anyways . . .) I pity him much. I can't do Kairi's thoughts much . . . she's _supposed_ to be worried about the voice, cos she thinks it's – wait, I may have gotten that point in there this time (hopefully XD)  
Anyways, here's the next chapter (after two weeks.).  
I've only done two episodes of Yuugiou . . . the one where Bakura leaves the hospital and the one where Rishid (Odion) and Jonouchi (Joey) duel and Rishid summons Mystical Beast Selket. (Must do more soon so I can start re-using tapes instead of finding a new one every week x.x;;)  
Magneto IS a psycho. He's kinda . . . scary. -_-"

Okay, now, this chapter was 3,880 words long (not including beginning and ending notes), so . . . I hope it makes up for leaving you all hanging an extra week. -_-"

Chapters left: three and then epilogue (according to outline, that is. It may be different.)  
Next chapter: Sora and Riku's fight in Hollow Bastion, an explanation of why Kairi can jump around in people's thoughts, and Kairi's awakening.

Hope to see you all then!


	6. a friend 'kidnapped'

**Title:** Reflections: Kairi ( 6 / ? )  
**Author name:** Ari Powwel  
**Author email:** eight_muses@hotmail.com  
**Spoilers:** . . . a lot . . . and spoilers for Reflections: Riku if you haven't read that.  
**Summary: **Hollow Bastion, and . . . a certain difference.  
**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by various publishers including but not limited to Disney Interactive and Square Co., Ltd. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**  
Thoughts Notes**: Since Kairi can now hear both Sora and Riku's thoughts, here's how they'll be shown (as it will be extremely confusing otherwise):  
_Italics:_ Kairi's thoughts  
// slashes \\: Sora's thoughts  
|| lines ||: Riku's thoughts  
~ tildes ~: Someone's thoughts (This someone has already probably been guessed by all of you -_-")  
**Author's Notes:** **leans over backwards over the arm of her chair to pick up her writing notebook** . . . why do I get the idea that this chapter is going to be incredibly different than any other?  
(Because you finished downloading Deep Dive today and it actually worked.)  
Oh, yeah . . . =^_^=  
**Statistics: **  
Day began: 18 October, 2003  
Day completed: 26 October, 2003  
Words: 4,349  
Pages (script/total): 7/9  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Gawrsh, look at that!' Goofy cried, looking up at a huge castle.__

_Something so familiar . . ._

The castle was so . . . I _knew_ it from somewhere. But where?

'I know this place . . .' Sora murmured.

'Hmm, that's strange,' Goofy commented.

'I wonder why . . . I feel this warmth inside, right here.' Sora placed a hand over his heart.

'Aww, you're just hungry,' Donald dismissed it.

I giggled, as Sora protested, 'Hey, I'm serious! I—' Any other comment he may have made was cut off from a loud roar. I jumped, as did the others, and in unison, we turned to the sound. 'Let's go!' Sora leapt up over floating platforms, trying to find the source.

As we hurdled the last platform, we saw Riku and a strange . . . beast, of sorts. He wore a purple cape, and a brown tail protruded from underneath. The 'hair' was pulled back from his face by a purple bow, and his clothes couldn't be described as clothes, but _finery_. A regal air was about him, though his somewhat frightening appearance would lower the amount of respect most beings would give him. 'No vessel, no help from the Heartless . . . so tell me, how'd you get here?' || I wish I'd known there was another way . . . ||

'I simply _believed_,' the Beast replied. 'Nothing more to it. When our world fell into darkness, Belle was taken from me. I vowed I would find her again, no matter what the cost. I believed I would find her. So, here I am. She _must_ be here. I _will_ have her back!'

'Take her, if you can,' Riku replied coolly, drawing his blade. It was red and black, shaped like a wing. I'd heard him referring to it as a Wingblade. The beast leapt at him, and for a moment, I'd thought that he'd struck Riku. But to my relief, Riku catapulted backwards, executing a one-handed back handspring. He sliced the beast across the chest, though, and Beast sprang back, a hand held to his chest. Riku raised his Keyblade, to do something, but—

'Stop!' Sora cried, blocking the blow. 

'So, you finally made it,' Riku said, backing up to speak, and lowering the Wingblade. 'About time. I've been waiting for you. We've always been rivals, haven't we? You've always pushed me, as I've always pushed you.'  || We've always pushed each other to our limits. We've hoped that our victories would speak of our prowess, and that perhaps . . . _she_ would see us. But that's gone from our past. ||  'But it all ends here. There can't be two Keyblade masters.'

'What are you talking about?' Sora asked, confused.  // What does he mean, two Keyblade masters? \\

'Let the Keyblade choose . . .' Riku said, holding out his hand, 'its true master.' The blade in Sora's hand jittered in his grasp, forcing the boy to hold it with two hands, but after a moment, the sword disappeared, rematerialising in Riku's hands, in its original form.

There were various exclamations of surprise from Donald and Goofy, and my thoughts were whirling. Why—what—how could Riku have taken the Keyblade from Sora? I thought . . .

'So Maleficent was right,' Riku said, examining the rapier. 'You don't have what it takes to save Kairi. It's up to me. Only the Keyblade master can open the secret door . . . and change the world.'

'But . . . that's impossible!' Sora protested. 'How did this happen? I'm the one who fought my way here with the Keyblade!'

'You were just the delivery boy,' Riku sneered, words harsh. It was clear to me that that voice, which had once whispered lies to him, had him completely under his 'spell', believing every word he fed him. But why? Why would Riku concede to this man? He had never bent to someone else's will before. 'Sorry, your part's over now. Here, go play hero with this.' He threw one of their old wooden swords to Sora's feet before turning to walk away. Sora dropped to his knees, staring at the crudely made weapon.

'Goofy. Let's go,' Donald said, looking away from the boy. 'We have to remember our mission.'

'Oh . . . well, I know the king told us to follow the key and all . . . but . . .'

'Sora . . . sorry,' Donald said, as he and Goofy followed the silver-haired boy. 

// They've left me, too? Is it that everyone only wants to follow me, befriend me, when I have the Keyblade? Is it the power of the Keyblade that draws them? \\

_Sora . . . I'm sorry. I wish I could do something . . ._

But there was nothing I could do as Sora was left with only a wooden blade to his name. 

'Quit while you can,' Riku scorned, revealling himself to us.  || Can't you see, you have nothing! Why do you still try to prove yourself stronger? ||

'No. Not without Kairi,' Sora said stubbornly.

A cloud of darkness surrounded Riku, picking him up from the ground.  || Yes . . . the true darkness . . . ||  When it dissipated, Riku was wearing a black bodysuit-like outfit, a large blue inverted triangle over the front of it. There was a blue belt circling his waist, holding up a tattered crème skirt-like thing, open at the front. Two more belts formed an 'X' over the open front, a metal buckle where they intersected. The 'skirt', though tattered, was lined in that same blue-ish colour, reaching to about his knees, which were covered by what looked like blue plates. His boots were of a dark royal colour, v-shaped at the top, the tops lined in a black stripe, with a white stripe in the black. His gloves were blue, but were covered by gauntlets, which were red and slowly faded to the black that dominated his clothes. Finally, a large heartless insignia was splashed across his chest, signifying that he was now a part of the darkness, lost to us forever. 

_Oh, gods, Riku, don't do this to us!_

'The darkness will destroy you,' Riku said, a strange undertone to his voice. What was it? I pondered the sound of his voice for a moment, before recognising it as regret.

'You're wrong, Riku. The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my heart. My heart will stay with my friends. It'll never die!'

'Really,' smirked Riku. 'Well, we'll just see about that!' He raised his hand, and an orb of shining darkness materialised, shooting towards Sora at a speed he couldn't avoid. As it came closer, Sora squeezed his eyes shut, as did I, and I heard Riku shout, || _No!_ || I jumped; it was as if Riku had just realised what he'd done. 

A bright light pierced through my shut eyelids, and when I opened them, I saw that the sphere had disappeared. In its place stood Goofy, shield before him and a foot placed back to brace himself.  'Sora ain't gonna go anywhere!' he shouted at Riku.

'You'd betray your king?'

'Not on your life! But I'm not gonna betray Sora, either, cos he's become one of my best buddies after all we've been through together!' To Donald, Goofy shouted, 'See ya later, Donald. Could ya tell the king I'm really sorry?'

'Hold on, Goofy!' Donald called back. 'We'll tell him together!' He raced across to join us. 'Well, you know . . . all for one and one for all,' he said sheepishly. 

'I guess you're stuck with us, Sora,' Goofy said. 

'Thanks a lot, Donald, Goofy . . .' Sora looked down at his feet; I could tell that he believed that it had been Goofy who stopped the darkness. I wasn't sure, but I believed it had been both of them, Riku _and_ Goofy.

'How will you fight without a weapon?' Riku asked.

'I know now I don't need the Keyblade. I've got a better weapon: my heart.' I cocked my head in wonderance. The heart wasn't a weapon, was it?

'Your heart?' Riku repeated. 'What good will that weak little thing do for you?'

'Although my heart may be weak, it's not alone,' Sora explained. 'It's grown with each new experience, and it's found a home with all the friends I've made. I've become a part of their heart just as they've become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then . . . if the don't forget me . . . then our hearts will be one.' He readied his wooden sword, as if he was going to battle Riku. 'I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!'

As we walked further into the castle, Sora and I both stopped short. 'Sora, what's wrong?' Goofy asked. 

_It's Riku . . . something's wrong . . ._

'I don't know,' Sora answered. 'I've just got this feeling . . . something's going on . . . something bad.'

'You sure?' Donald questioned.

'Yeah . . .' Sora replied, sounding a bit distracted. 'It's probably just nothing.'

'It's not good to just dismiss your feelings,' Donald advised him. 'If you've got a bad feeling, then something probably _is_ going on.'

_Riku . . . oh, gods, Riku, what's going on?!_

'You stay here and guard the princesses.'

~ Fool. Don't you understand, yet? I am your superiour. ~

'Do you need some help?' Riku asked. I shuddered. His voice was strange, distorted. It was almost layered, with his own being overshadowed by a deeper, darker one. 

'Riku!' Sora yelped.  // His voice . . . it's so strange. \\

~ Ah, the king's fools are here. Perfect. Now they shall see how the darkness conquers all! ~

Donald began to ask, 'Is that—'

'Yes,' answered Riku. 'A Keyblade. But unlike yours, _this_ Keyblade holds the power to unlock people's hearts. Allow me to demonstrate . . .' he turned, thrusting the Keyblade into Maleficent's heart. 'Behold!' As Maleficent let out a shriek of surprise, he continued, 'Now, open your heart, surrender it to darkness! Become darkness itself!' He pulled it out of her heart and strode away, disappearing as he went.

'This is it! This power! Darkness . . . the true darkness!' Maleficent crowed, watching tendrils of darkness wrapping around nothing. A green light began to materialize, filling the room with its luminescence. As it faded, I could see what had become of Maleficent. A giant black dragon stood in her place, pawing the floor. Smoke was emitting from her nostrils, and she leered at us menacingly. As I watched her begin to strike at Sora, who had readied his Keyblade, I heard two voices, coming from the back.

|| GO! He's going to be killed! ||

~ Oh, yes he is, Riku, yes he is. And then . . . 

You will, too. ~

I let out a shriek of surprise; I couldn't help it. Someone was threatening Riku, and I could tell that he meant every word of it. What surprised me was that Riku didn't respond . . . on the islands, no-one could even mock-threaten him without Riku making an arrogant remark in return. _Oh, gods! What's happened to you, Riku?_

Maleficent struck at Sora, but the auburn-haired boy dived under her, attacking her head with a three-combo as he leapt up. He rebounded back from the attack, shoes sliding over the floor, before running at her again and bounding onto her head. 'Thundaga!' he cried, throwing the Keyblade in an arc as he _flew_ over her. The blade struck her in the head, reflecting off, and returned to Sora's hand as he kneeled to the floor. As he landed, strikes of lightning surrounded Maleficent, and her cry of anguish told me that the spell had affected her. Donald bashed Maleficent's skull with his magician's rod, and Goofy spiralled into her with a spinning attack as Sora dashed around to the front. As he got there, he paused, closing his eyes, and seeming to concentrate. At once, he snapped them open, launching into a quick flurry of attacks; he almost _glowed_ with a golden aura. 

Maleficent pulled her head up above them, smoke coming from her mouth. I knew instantly what was about to happen, but Sora was so intent on reaching her, he jumped in surprise when the dragon roared, green fire spilling from her mouth. Sora let out a yelp as it touched him; Donald cried, 'Aeroga!' and a spiralling white shield protected him from any further damage. Another two shouts and he and Goofy were protected, as well. A yell of 'Curaga!' and three bell-like flowers appeared over Sora's head, a green aura surrounding and healing him. 

As Sora fought on, I found my thoughts wandering back to Riku. I wondered why that other voice could hear his thoughts, as I could, and could even communicate back to him. And, I wondered, if he could communicate back to Riku, would I not have seen him? Or could I not see others in spirit-form? And in the event that I _could_, in fact, see others in spirit-form, and I couldn't see him, where would he be? Was the person in actuality not here, but _there_? And in the case of that, where was _there_? Could that person see what was going on through Riku? 

_But_, if he could see what was going on through Riku, could he also perform through Riku? Was Riku only a medium for some freak?

I shook my head at myself. There were so many questions that that scenario arose. If Riku were a medium for someone, then how could that person threaten to kill him? (And here, I shuddered; I did not like thinking about someone threatening to kill my best friends.) Riku would know that the person in question was not present, and could not kill him. So, the man would not be able to threaten him, as he had. Meaning, either Riku was actually working and cooperating with the darkness, and the voice had been nothing but a minion of Maleficent's, nearby, or Riku was slowly succumbing to the darkness. I frowned at myself; something wasn't right. What I had reasoned to myself as true was becoming entangled with all other ideas, and I was confusing myself further. It was probably best to just forget it, though I doubted I could.

I blinked as blindingly bright green fire turned on its master, consuming Maleficent. As it died down, all that was left of the woman was a dark shadow. There was a slight noise, and Riku was there, striding over the shadow. 'How ironic,' he said in his emotionless voice. 'She was just another puppet after all.' I shuddered; he spoke about Maleficent like it was no surprise that she'd been killed, though she had been the one who first took him in, who entranced him into the darkness.

. . . actually, now that I thought about it, I wouldn't have minded that she was gone, either. 

'What?' Donald asked. 

'The Heartless were using Maleficent from the beginning. She failed to notice the darkness in her heart eating away at her.' Riku ground his heel into the shadow, which disappeared beneath his feet. 'A fitting end for such a fool.' He walked away, stepping through the portal that had brought us here in the first place. 

Somehow, Sora had found out where Riku had gone, and as he dashed up the stairs, I could hear him 'talking' with the other man.

'It's time,' the man said out loud.

|| . . . no! I won't let it end this way! ||

_Hurry!_ I silently urged Sora. _Riku needs help!_

As Goofy was running onto the platform at the top of the stairs, I saw a slight light surround the platform, and stopped short as Goofy ran into it and rebounded backwards, falling down the stairs. I didn't chance the barrier, as I had a feeling it wouldn't let anything through. Donald turned, looking at Goofy with a muted exclamation, but Sora didn't notice, instead dashing to the centre of the platform, where my body lay. 'Kairi!' he crouched beside me. 'Kairi, Kairi! Open your eyes!'

'It's no use,' came Riku's voice, an almost mocking tone to it. 'That girl has lost her heart. She cannot wake up.'

'What? You . . . you're not Riku!' Sora accused. 

|| Brilliant . . . figure it out _now_ . . . ||

_So I was right? Riku is only acting as a medium for someone? But who? And how can this person threaten Riku like that, if they're not here? And most importantly, how can we get_ our _Riku back?_

'The Keyhole cannot be completed so long as the last Princess of Heart still sleeps,' Riku said, apparently 'not hearing' Sora's accusations.

'The princess . . .?' Sora looked at me. 'You mean, Kairi's a princess?'

Riku floated down from a giant heart, the Keyhole. 'Yes, and without her power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened.'

_Wait._ I'm _a princess?_ Me? _Shy little Kairi? . . . but how?_ _And what does he mean, 'it is time she awakened'? I'd_ like _to be myself again. That's somewhat impossible, what you're asking._

'Whoever you are, let Riku go! Give him back his heart!' 

_His heart?_ Suddenly it became clear to me. Riku wasn't acting as a medium; someone had kidnapped his soul, using his body for his own purposes!

'But first, you must give the princess back _her_ heart!'

Sora kneeled over, clutching his chest, right above his heart. Donald let out a worried squawk of surprise, and as Sora began to question its origin, 'Riku' interrupted, 'Don't you see yet? The princess's heart is responding. It has been there all along. Kairi's heart rests within you!'

'Kairi . . . Kairi's inside me?'

_My heart's a part of Sora's? But how? When?_ I thought back to that fateful night, all the way back on Destiny Islands. I had been propelled towards Sora, but we had never collided. Instead, I had woken up at Hollow Bastion. Perhaps it had been then . . .

'I know all that there is to know.'

'Tell me, who are you?'

'It is I, _Ansem_, Seeker of Darkness!' What? Aerith, Leon, and Yuffie had said, repeatedly, that Ansem had been performing studies on the Heartless, not _creating_ them. I had viewed Ansem as a good person, but this—this _fiend_ had in a way _kidnapped_ my friend, and was now looking to _kill_ Sora as he raised Riku's blade over his head. 'So, I shall release you now, Princess. Complete the Keyhole with your power. Open the door, lead me into everlasting darkness!'

As he began to swing it down, I let out a yell, 'Sora!' Sora's head snapped up, and he swung up his Keyblade, stopping Ansem's blow. 

'Forget it! You're not getting Kairi's heart!' he said, face flushed in his anger. With a yell, he shoved Ansem's blade off, slicing across his midsection.

I couldn't help wincing, just thinking that it was Riku's body that he was harming. Ansem swung his blade around, and Sora parried it. Once, twice, but Sora struck Ansem across the shoulder before it became a third. As the Keyblade was swung around to strike again, Ansem blocked, and struck Sora with a flood of blows, leaving the boy shaking. 'Heal!' Sora cried as Ansem came at him with another string of attacks. He stumbled, but managed to dive out of the way before the second one hit. He attacked Ansem from behind, using several combos and cornering him. As Sora used Ars Arcanum again, Ansem's face contorted in annoyance, before a contented smirk crossed his face. I felt a wave of hatred, mixed with torment, come from a force behind Ansem, and wondered what had just happened. 

'Surrender,' Ansem said, eyes turning white. He rose from the surface of the platform a couple inches, before dashing around quickly, attacking Sora as he ran by. Sora stumbled each time he was hit, but Sora raised the Keyblade to the ceiling. 

'Wind!' he shouted, a shield surrounding him. As Ansem ran by again, he was stopped, and Sora could use an attack. He threw the Keyblade in an arc at Ansem, using the opportunity to also use a bottle. As he caught the Keyblade and dashed into battle, he and Ansem neared me, and I could hear the conversation between Riku and Ansem:

|| You're not going to be able to beat him, either. You're almost gone already. You're a weakling, hiding behind others or taking advantage of them. You've never had a decent fight in your life. I've seen your reports. You killed innocent people with those stupid experiments. ||  Riku seemed to be distracting Ansem, and I could tell it was working as Sora's Keyblade connected with him again.

~ You don't have room to talk. Just _think_ of what you did without my help. Entire worlds have collapsed within themselves because of you. Worlds fell at your feet, the strongest fighters were _nothing_ compared to you. And I did none of that. ~

|| I—I never meant to do any of that! ||

~ You just keep telling yourself that, and maybe one day you'll believe it. ~

|| It _is_ the truth. I didn't want to kill people. I just—I just wanted to help Kairi. || I heard the sad note in Riku's voice, and knew he was telling the truth. He'd never wanted to do anything he'd been told to, anything that I'd seen him doing. 

~ You just think that. The rest of us will know the truth . . . ~

It was obvious he'd crossed a line, as Riku roared,  || Stop! ||

Ansem stopped a moment, allowing Sora to chain another barrage of attacks to him. He sprang back, cocking his head to the side as Ansem bent over. As he straightened up, there was a genuine smile on his face until he saw Sora. He let his blade drop to his side as he said, 'Hello, Sora.'

'Riku,' Sora acknowledged. 'Is it . . . is it really you?'

Riku nodded, and silence reigned between the two for a minute, before Riku broke the silence, 'I'm sorry, Sora.'

'Why?' he asked, nodding anyways. 

'You know why,' Riku looked away in shame. 'I didn't want to . . . I never wanted to . . .' he trailed off. 

Sora let out a sigh, shoulders slumping. 'It shouldn't be like this. It should be you and me, fighting together _against_ the evil. Not you fighting _for_ evil and me against you.'

'I wish it was . . .'

_I do, too._

'But I suppose destiny had something else in mind.'

Sora shook his head in disbelief. 'You believe all of this was _supposed_ to happen? You think Kairi was _supposed_ to lose her heart? You think you were _supposed_ to be taken by the darkness? What reason could there possibly be for _this_?!'

'I don't know. But . . . somehow, I know it'll all turn out fine. Look,' Riku said, cutting Sora off, 'if this hadn't happened, we wouldn't have seen all these different worlds, we wouldn't know that Kairi was really a princess, and you'd still be losing something awful in our practise matches.' He smiled slightly.

Sora stared, disbelief written on his features. 'You never _were_ able to conceal your emotions very well,' Riku laughed.

Almost suddenly, his knees buckled, and he dropped a bit, a fleeting look of pain crossing his face. 'What's wrong?' asked Sora.

'Ansem,' Riku responded; it seemed to me he couldn't say anything more as he gritted his teeth. He took a deep breath and stated calmly, 'Sora, you've got to defeat me.'

'I can't—I can't hurt my best friend like that.' Sora protested.

'Sora, I've felt every blow you've landed on Ansem,' Riku smiled sardonically. 'One more isn't going to hurt. No,' he held up a hand as Sora rummaged in a bag (for a potion, most likely), 'you don't want to heal Ansem, right?'

'But—'

'Just do it, Sora!' Riku shouted. 'I don't care what happens to me, but you can't afford to lose!'

Sora slowly nodded. 

'Seal the Keyhole, Sora. Beat the darkness. And use Ragnarok.'

'But—that's yours! I can't just start using your moves! All right, okay, I know I've used yours,' he admitted at Riku's sceptical glance. 'But I meant the ones that only you've used, your special ones.'

'Use Ragnarok,' Riku repeated. 'Now, do it!' his voice became a scream as he said the last words, I could only guess that Ansem had just done something again. 

As Sora moved closer, Riku bent his head, and shut his eyes. I felt myself begin to cry, I couldn't believe that it had come to this . . .

A sword was swung up to block his blow. 

It took all I had not to cry out when Ansem parried Sora's half-hearted attack. 'You think I'd let you win that easily?' he hissed, striking at Sora, who blocked relatively effortlessly. 'I've waited this long—' he began, but the rest of his sentence was cut off as the surroundings around me changed. I now stood in a rather dull, dark grey room. Having learned I couldn't much control my exit from a place if I hadn't controlled my arrival, I leaned back against the wall, waiting. 

I didn't have long to wait.  On the other side of the room, a burst of multicoloured particles swirled, eventually dissipating and revealing the figure behind them—'Riku!'

Riku looked up at me and smirked a bit. 'I don't like repeating myself—or being cliché, for that matter, but—hello, Kairi.'

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x.x

. . . want to know how long this chapter is?  
**Too** long.

This is, by far, the longest chapter, and I hope it was worth the two weeks you had to wait. I hate that I left it off with the same line I began with in chapter six of Reflections: Riku. But, **shrugs** it's funny (to me, at least) and I'm willing to bet you weren't expecting it, eh? ;)

I have slept over 18 hours in the past day. AND~ I need more sleep.   
x.x  
Explanation: Football game. We left at 2:00 Friday, got back around midnight. We had to be at the bazaar to work the next morning before 7:00.  
And I am an insomniac.  
I didn't go to sleep until 5:15, then woke up at 6:40. I worked the entire day (until 5) then went home. So that's one and a half hours of sleep for one day. I nearly fell asleep in the computer chair, typing part of this, so after that I gave up and went to bed around 5:45. My mom woke me up at midnight when she went to bed (because I went in my parents' room ^_^ cos it's got a better bed than mine) and I reset my clock for Daylight Savings Time, so it was around 11 again. I woke up at 10:45 this morning, ergo, 18 hours.   
And it was _heaven_.

Thanks to the following reviewers!

~ DClick ~  
Canon = bad. **hisseses** Canon means that Ginny and Draco can't get together .  
And R/K is the most adorable . . . **squee!** See, Kairi didn't really mean the drawing as a sign of love, she means that their destinies are intertwined already, and she wants to share the paopu with _both_ of her best friends so that they'll always remain friends only it doesn't work and Sora—**breaks off** PLOT BUNNY! **chases it** Come back here, you little . . .  
No, Riku, don't kiss DC, kiss Kairi! ^_^  
Riku: Okay.   
Ari: O.O . . . **tries not to break out laughing and fails miserably**  
And school = t3h 3v1l. 

~ _ | AeRiS | _ ~  
Ehh, not too good on the updating soon thing . . . but, glad to hear you think it's great! Comments like that make me pleased! ^_^

~ YamiMarita ~  
Yay, it was worth the wait! **cheers** And yes, Tinkerbell was jealous of Wendy in the game, too, lol!   
And it figures that as soon as we all get the hand of the Riku/Kairi/Sora/Ansem thing, and we won't be using it! **breaks out laughing**  
Fwee, hopefully this one was worth the wait as well, but neift. **makes your hands stop clapping** No clapping for Ari! Ish not worth it!

~ Zoshi the Confused ~  
Yesyes, stupid college! **kicks college, then kicks highschool.** And stupidstupid highschool. Ish evil.  
And on the topic of 'my friend likes Kairi more than I do', I give you this:  
Ari: Me no like Kairi. Es evil.  
Lib: I like her more than you.  
The way she said it made it sound like she liked Kairi more than she likes me XDXD and I flat out hated Kairi after she said, 'Isn't Riku with you? Oh, well, he'll be okay. He can take care of himself.' And she says this _after_ Hollow Bastion, and she _knew_ that he was being controlled by Ansem!   
Meesa like when Kairi ish with Riku **nods** Supporting R/K! ^_^

~ Mizutaka ~  
ff.n ish evil sometimes. Simple as that ^_^  
Sophomore party, sophomore party! **dancing still** We get interims for the second grading period next week O.O Aww, you ish sick? **hands you a potion and curses her lousy typing today** No see scary nurse lady!  
Longlonglonghardtowrite chapter means good, yesyes? **ish hopeful**  
You _allowed_ to update slow, cos you say that you do and that there is no set time for your chapters to come out. _I_ be stupid and say that chapters be out in one week and cannot hold to that. But, ish alright!   
Ansem ish mean. **kicks Ansem** He shouldn't be saying such mean things to Riku. Of course everyone worries about him! **glomps the Riku-kun**  
I forgot about having Kairi try to communicate to the evil. V.V wish I hadn't, though . . . **sigh** But next chapter ish up now! Happyhappy! **squee!**  
I want unedited DVDs!! **goes straight to discountanimedvds.com** **SQUEE!!** I want to see Yuugiou, Shaman King, YuYu Hakusho, Boogiepop Phantom, Fruits Basket, **continues listing animes**  
I have not seen Independence Day. Must watch sometime!  
However, I will have seen Jesus Christ Superstar and Phantom of the Opera soon, of my own free will **beams** I have the strangest interests of anyone I know ^_^  
Fwee!!

Sorry that you didn't find out why Kairi can person-jump and hear people's thoughts, and you didn't see the awakening, but hey, it gives me a bit more to put into the next chapter (which was going to be horribly short for awhile XD)

Don't be surprised if the next chapter doesn't come out for another two weeks, as I'm taking forever writing these chapters . . . and plotbunnies come at the most terrible times!!  
  
Til' then!


	7. a promise made

**Title:** Reflections: Kairi ( 7 / ? )  
**Author name:** Ari Powwel  
**Author email:** eight_muses@hotmail.com  
**Spoilers:** . . . a lot . . . and spoilers for Reflections: Riku if you haven't read that.  
**Summary: **Hollow Bastion, and . . . a certain difference.  
**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by various publishers including but not limited to Disney Interactive and Square Co., Ltd. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**  
Author's Notes:** Will not make this extremely long, but will someone please hit me for waiting this long to write? **HEADDESK**  
**Statistics: **  
Day began: 15 January, 2004  
Day completed: 17 January, 2004  
Words: 2,784  
Pages (script/total): 5/6  
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'Riku . . .'

He smiled mournfully, and I knew that he now understood. He knew that Maleficent had been goading him, almost _forcing_ him to believe that Sora had turned against him. He knew, and was sorry, but did not regret. But that was okay, because I knew what his parents had repeated to him, over and over: ­_A Renegadu does not regret._ That was behind us now, unable to be changed. And so I would not hold it against him; he'd do that enough himself, anyways. 'Riku . . . why are we here? And what's happened to you? You look like—' I stopped myself from finishing.

'Awful?' he supplied, and as I nodded, we laughed. He shook his head in helplessness and shrugged. 'It's Ansem. Haven't you seen his reports? 'My body is too frail for such a journey, but I must do this. I will cast it off and plunge into the depths of darkness.',' he quoted.

I understood what was happening. If Ansem didn't have a body, he'd use another, a sort of vessel (I shuddered at that thought; was that all Riku was to Ansem; a vessel?). But how did this . . . ?

'You see, a heart is what binds the soul to the body, a sort of lock. This lock is kept shut by your own life force, and when it weakens enough, the soul can break away, leaving the body behind. When the heart is moved, it also destroys the bond. And, of course, you know what happens when your heart is removed.'

'So . . . I'm dead?' I asked softly.

Riku nodded. 'Technically, yes. However, your heart was taken unnaturally, and never stopped.' He stopped. 'Well, I think so. I'm not positive.'

I wanted to scream, but held it in, instead asking, 'How do you know all of this?'

He shrugged. 'Some of it I figured out on my own, and some I learned from listening while the others talked.'

Yes, I could see Riku listening to them, hearing their plans. Perhaps they'd known, and if that Maleficent was a sorceress, as I'd heard, she'd have been able to do something, wouldn't she? My anger for the woman increased. I didn't even consider I might be wrong. But wait! Something was wrong . . . 'But what are you doing here? You said that your soul was bound to your body.'

Riku nodded. 'That's true. But there is another problem with using my body. There can only be one dominant soul.' He closed his eyes momentarily, and I could _feel_ how hard it was for him to put it in such blunt terms. 'When he—when he took over, I'd been considerably weakened by the darkness. I couldn't fight them long enough, and he won.' He sighed, aqua eyes losing their normal spark, and looked away, to the opposite wall. 'I am merely essence, now.' He let out a short, bitter laugh. 'Fitting, for what _I_ tried to do.'

'Riku . . .' I whispered, taken aback at his idea. Without even thinking, I crossed to him, grabbing his hands and forcing him to look into my eyes. ­_'No-one_­ deserves that, Riku, least of all you. Do you hear that? No-one! If you keep thinking that, you'll just let him win! . . . I want you to promise me you'll keep fighting. Okay?' I asked, anxiety filling me.

There was a minute of silence, but finally Riku nodded. 'I will,' he said quietly. 'I promise.' 

That was all it took to get me started again. I embraced him tightly, and we sank to the floor, content to lean against the wall (though I was leaning on Riku, as well) and enjoy each other's company.

As I thought we are both about to fall asleep, Riku let out a cry. 'What is it?' I urged, silently hoping he'd tell me.

'It's Sora,' he replied. 'He's bringing you back, which is good, but—' the rest of his sentence was cut off as I was pulled away in a flash.

When I opened my eyes again, I found they were slow to do so. My limbs felt heavy, but were forgotten as I look around. Sora was looking at me, his body surrounded by golden light. He looked almost ethereal as he breathed a sigh of relief, afterward closing his eyes slowly and tipping backward. I stumbled as I got to my feet, calling Sora's name, and, still unused to having an actual form, rushed to him, trying to catch him before he falls, but as I reached him, arms coming up to catch him, he disappeared in a cloud of golden sparkles.

I looked up as the sparkles rushed upward, knowing, but still trying to disbelieve, that Sora is gone. 'Sora! Come back, Sora!' shouted one of his companions, Donald.

'Sora . . . are you really . . .' I wondered, a tremble in my voice. 'No!' I shouted, voice breaking in anguish. 'It can't be! I won't let him go!'

Before I could say more, however, another figure appeared before us. He had long silver hair and tanned skin, contrasting unnaturally. His amber eyes were startling, and at the same time giving him a perpetually eerie look. He wore a long, ankle-length grey overcoat, black pants and boots underneath His arms were covered in lighter gloves, and there was a white 'shirt' wrapped around his torso, leaving his chest bare but buttoned underneath. The man in general gave me an awful feeling, and I knew this was Ansem. 'So, you have awakened at last, Princess. The Keyhole is now complete. You have served your purpose. But now, it's over.'

In front of me, Donald and Goofy raised their weapons, Donald raising a wand and Goofy a shield. 'Don't make another move!' Donald ordered.

'Do you think we can stop him all by ourselves?' asked Goofy. It was meant to be quiet, but I could hear them perfectly well.

'I don't know,' answered Donald, just as 'quietly'.

Ansem, smirking, stepped forward, but stopped a moment later, looking at his hand. It was moving, seemingly of its own accord, and as he murmured, 'Impossible . . .' Riku's weakened soul appeared before him, apparently protecting us.

'No . . .' Riku said defiantly, although it was obvious that this was taking much of his energy. 'You won't use me for this!'

'Riku!' I cried. Even after all he'd been put through, he would still sacrifice himself for us? I felt tears stinging at my eyes, having begun when I'd seen Sora, and I had to work hard to keep them from falling. 

'You've got to run,' Riku told us, an agitated tone in his voice. 'The Heartless are coming!'

Even as he spoke, a ring of shadows appeared around us, doing their jerky little dance, ready to pounce as soon as Ansem gave the word. I looked into Riku's overly bright eyes, seeing the unspoken promise there, and nodded. I turned, running from the platform where he was, hoping that he'd be all right. A final glance at Riku showed Ansem glaring at him murderously, though Riku was still watching us, as though to be sure that we would be okay. I shivered; Ansem was possibly the most sinister man I would meet in a long time.

I didn't know that this would be the last time I saw Riku.

We ran through the castle quickly, Donald leading us through countless corridors. However, sometimes I thought I knew which turn we'd take before we actually turned, and I wondered why I seemed to know this castle so well. I seemed to remember every twist and turn, each hidden Lift Stop and passage, the Chapel, the Main Hall . . . as we passed under a giant Heartless crest, I paused. 'Kairi, hurry!' yelped Goofy.

I shook my head. 'I can't leave them behind!'

'We can't stay here!' argued Donald.

'A Heartless is after us!' Goofy added, pointing to the shadow behind me. I rushed to the other two as I saw it, and it followed me slowly, tilting its head to the side as if debating over something. 

'I'll take care of him,' pronounced Donald, readying the Violetta as the shadow moved closer. He tapped it sharply on the head, saying 'Confounded Heartless! Get lost, will ya?' It was obvious that this had worked before, as the rapping grew steadily harder and quicker as Donald grew more annoyed.

The shadow merely tilted its head again.

I paused. There was something very familiar about this shadow . . . 'Sora? Is that you?' Before I could receive any sort of answer, Goofy cut me off, 'Uh-oh!' I looked up, and saw that there was another group of shadows ringing us, ready to pounce. Donald and Goofy readied themselves for battle, and I turned to the shadow. 'This time, I'll protect you,' I told him, sure that it was Sora.

All at once, the shadows leapt. I turned, dropping my body to shield the Heartless, guarding him with my body, my soul, and heart.

I heard Goofy's surprised yelp, but after a moment, a flash of light momentarily blinded me, and a pair of arms were holding me. 'Kairi, thank you,' said Sora, and I looked up at him, surprised.

'Sora . . .' Was he really here? Had he really come back?

'Sora!' both Donald and Goofy shouted. Again, there was a group of Heartless surrounding us, and Sora drew his Keyblade, readying himself for the fight. 

However, a roar split the air and the Beast appeared above the fountain, looking over at us. 'Go! Now!' Beast commanded, preparing to ambush the Heartless.

'Come with us!' Sora said, a mixture between a cry and an offer.

'I told you before, I'm not leaving without Belle,' Beast rumbled. 'Now, go! The Heartless are coming!' With that, he leapt over the fountain, rushing a Heartless and raking his claws through its black shadow-flesh. It exploded, a heart rising from it, freed at last, and Sora finally agreed:

'All right. Let's get out of here.'

'Tell me what happened,' Leon said, fixing Sora with a look. I shivered; the tone of his voice was cold, as though he wasn't asking. As per his wishes, Sora recounted the story of what had happened at Hollow Bastion, speaking for a good quarter of an hour. I didn't add anything—I didn't want everybody knowing about my and Riku's conversation.

After Sora finished, Leon nodded. 'So, the darkness is flowing out of the Keyhole . . .'

'No wonder there are more and more Heartless everywhere,' mused Aeris. 'The only way to stop them is—'

'Seal the Keyhole, right?' Sora interrupted, grinning and holding out his Keyblade, which he'd told me was called the Lady Luck.

'Maybe,' cautioned Leon. 'You have one more friend to worry about. Riku's Keyblade must have been born of the captive princesses' hearts—just like that Keyhole you saw.' He looked at me as he continued, 'Of course, without Kairi's heart, it remained incomplete. Once that Keyblade was destroyed, the princesses' hearts should have been freed. Don't worry, Sora,' he said to the boy, who looked despairingly at where Hollow Bastion would be. 'If anyone can save your friend, you can.'

The Secret Waterway wasn't easily accessible. To get there, you either swam through a grate in the alley, or visited Merlin, a wizard, who could send you down on a piece of stone. It was mostly filled with water, though there was a fair spit of land on one side, lit with torches that lit the cavern with a eerie green glow. On the far side of the water was a mural, of a moon. It gave off a soft blue glow; a calming sight in this time of mystification and chaos. Also near the mural was a boy, russet locks defying gravity. He was with two others, a duck and a dog, standing on two legs and walking easily as though human. As I watched, Sora took something from the mural, which then reverted to a sun, glowing with a harsh golden light. As he walked back, I found myself murmuring, 'A light at the end of the tunnel . . .'

'Oh, your grandma's story, right?'

'That's right,' I said, smiling. 'We were together.'

'You know what's funny?' asked Sora, a distant look growing in his eyes. 'I looked everywhere for you, but you were with me all along. Finally, we're together, Kairi.' He paused, and seemed to come back to the present, looking me straight in the eyes. 'Now, it's time to get Riku back.

I looked away. 'You think it'll ever be the same again between us? Riku's lost his . . .' I trailed off. I knew that I would treat him the same. Sora more than likely would, as well. However, Riku had been known to take everything to the extreme. He would probably still think it was his fault when he came back. He wouldn't want to see us, and I didn't want that to happen.

'When I turned into a Heartless, you saved me, remember?' Sora said, misinterpreting my question. 'I was lost in the darkness. I couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through the dark, I started forgetting things—my friends, who I was. The darkness almost swallowed me. But then I heard a voice—your voice. You brought me back.'

I looked away again. 'I didn't want to just forget about you, Sora. I couldn't.' And it was true. Riku was a spirit, now, and I couldn't bear to have both of my best friends taken away. I also knew that without Sora, we'd be lost. All of us. There would be no hope for the us, for the worlds . . .

For the _light_.

'That's it!' cried Sora. 'Our hearts are connected. And the light from our hearts broke through the darkness. I saw that light. I think that's what saved me.' My heart leapt at his next words, 'No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within.' This meant we'd be able to save Riku, didn't it? We three had such a strong friendship; we _had_ to be able to! 'I guess it's more than just a fairy tale.'

'Well, let's go,' I said, a bit happier now that I knew there was a way.

'You can't go,' protested Sora.

'Why not?'

'Because it's way too dangerous!'

'Come on, Sora. We made it this far by sticking together. You _can't_ go alone.' I pleaded. I didn't want to stay behind while Sora went off and fought. I needed to be with him. I wouldn't be able to stand the anxiety of wondering if he was all right or not.

'Kairi, even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore. Right?' Sora asked, and I scowled to myself. He was making too much sense. I was fighting a losing battle.

'I can't help?'

'You'd . . . kind of be in my way,' Sora grinned, and I sighed. I knew the frustration there was to be had when someone couldn't take care of herself. And although Aeris had been helping me to train, I was no-where near ready to fight for such high stakes.

'Okay. You win.'

Slowly, I unfastened my bracelet from my wrist. It was a silver chain, a paopu fruit charm dangling from it. _If I can't come with you, I'll be with you in spirit. Always remember that, Sora. _'Take this. It's my lucky charm, so be sure to bring it back to me.' _And if you do, then that means you'll come back, too._

'Don't worry. I will.'

'Promise?'

'Promise.'

'Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you.'

I stood on the dock of Traverse Town, watching Sora, Donald, and Goofy loading their bags with supplies. They attached various chains and ribbons to their weapons, raising the powers they contained, and I noted with a slight smile that Sora was using my bracelet as a Keychain. After they finished loading the Gummi ship, they climbed in, Sora giving me one last smile through the quartz windowpane of the ship. His mouthed five words. 

'We'll come back to you.'

As they took off, I stood on the dock, watching it for as long as I could, before it finally vanished from sight. As it did, I repeated to myself, holding the wand I now used tightly:

'Don't you _ever_ forget, Sora. You promised to come back. And don't _you_ forget, Riku. You promised to keep fighting. 

You _promised_.'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

u.u I told you this chapter would be short. . . .

And yes, part of the reason this was so long to come out was because I'm STILL angry at Kairi about that remark. **smirks** But I've come up with a good cover:

'Where's Riku?' I asked, hoping that he'd already managed to find him. 'Isn't he with you?' I sighed. 'Oh, well, he'll be okay. He can take care of himself,' I finished, trying to convince myself that he was doing what I had just said. I knew that it probably wasn't true, but I wanted to think of him this way, as the strong boy he'd been on Destiny Islands, able to defeat anyone and still so enigmatic. 

**twitches** I just got a comment on deviantart that pissed me off . . . (someone said that my picture was just plain bad. I don't mind being told that, but he didn't even say WHY it was bad. He also tried to say I put NO effort into it, and in truth, I worked on that for a half-hour? **twitches**) so forgive me if I cut this a bit short.

Thanks to the following reviewers!

~ _|AeRiS|_ ~  
**hand behind head in anime embarrassment pose** heh . . . didn't really manage to update soon . . . ^^; oops . . .  
Glad you liked it, and hope this chapter was satisfying, as well!

~ YamiMarita ~  
a;sldkfja;sldkfja;sldkfj  
NuuuU!!!! **shrinks into corner to avoid clapping hands**  
YAY! Lightning! Lightning cool! ^^ and sugar isn't bad!! YAY for sugar!! **dances around with a bag of sugar and hums a song**   
Ahh . . . heh heh heh . . . didn't write more soon . . . ^^;; should've, but didn't . . .   
**stares at award** What's this for? O.O

~ Mizutaka ~  
Yay! Sophomore party is STILL on halfway through the year **dances** **and hands you an Elixir** This had BETTER work! **threatens sickness**  
Yesh, long chapters are fun . . . this was a short chapter . . . ;.; and XD on 'What happened to Riku's voice?!'  
The insane villains ARE hilarious. They're SO sure they're gonna win, and it blows up in their face **cackles**  
XD I can't write long battles . . . it doesn't work. Especially because throughout the entire game, I hack-n-slash. There are no Strike Raid, Ragnarok, Ars Arcanum, Trinity Limit . . . they're not used at all ^^;; I just rapidly tap X into infinity. Therefore, I havta make it up entirely . . . and that's hard . . . so they're short. Let's just assume Sora was madly leveled up, ne? ^_~  
My favourite cut-scene is after Sora stabs himself and Ansem comes out and then Riku protects them . . . I cry . . . but I love it. I'm strange ^^;;  
**dances** I got the first box of subtitled dvds!! But they weren't the ones I was hoping for u.u I wanna see the ones without the card game . . . with the burning ferris wheel, Bakura trapping them all in Monster World dolls . . . etc etc. **sighs** BUT~ I shall get them still! **cackles again** Shall try yesasia.com . . . ANY site that I can buy them from. Except eBay. **nods**

~ Zoshi the Confused ~  
**torches Fido** He's a pain in the ass.   
**grins** See above for the fix on the 'Isn't Riku with you?' statement.   
**sobs** But I don't wanna sleep!! It's not FUN to sleep at night!  
YOU get more sleep! **maniacal laughing** And YES, your last chapter of These Wings that Ache was worth waiting for! **bounces around** When's the next one coming out? Huh? Huh? Huh? **has just won her argument with that arrogant person from deviantart**  
**passes you a torch** Now you can torch Fido, too! **cheesy salesperson grin**

~ VixettaremIx ~  
XD remembering scenes? More like searching frantically for a game script and then trying to tape all the cut-scenes from Kingdom Hearts, then accidentally destroying the tape and just saving near each scene. ^^;;  
Yesh, quick and to the point . . . trying to slow down so that I can add more detail/delve into character thoughts more/make more refined lol but it's probably not gonna happen for awhile ^^;;  
Eh, school's a bitch anyways. **torches it** There ^^ Now it's not!  
Chapter 7 took a while in coming, but in its wake, Kowaii Yo is about ready to be posted! **schemes** ^^

  
Am working on chapter eight tomorrow when I wake up, because it is now past midnight and I'm _tired._ **complains like this** Exams were this week. I don't like exams. HOWEVER . . . the history exam is what led to me finding the beginning of this, which destroyed the writer's block on this! Yay! **dances around happily**  
  
  


Random Notes that Were Written During the Chapter:  
Note 1: The description of Ansem is completely from memory ^^  
Note 2: I just forgot how to spell 'awful' . . . *   
Note 3: If I don't capitalise Keyblade, my computer does it for me ^^ further proof that Keyblade is capitalised.  
Note 4: I keep writing in present tense . . . XD! From my other stories, especially Kowaii Yo . . . 


	8. a journey ended

**Title:** Reflections: Kairi ( 8 / 8 )   
**Author name:** Ari Powwel  
**Author email:** eight[underscore]muses[at symbol]hotmail.com  
**Spoilers:** . . . a lot . . . and spoilers for Reflections: Riku if you haven't read that.  
**Summary: **In Sora's absence and the final scenes  
**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by various publishers including but not limited to Disney Interactive and Square Co., Ltd. The song lyrics used in this chapter are from the song Half Pain, from Witch Hunter Robin. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**  
Author's Notes:** Ha, lookee here, starting this before ten days have passed! ::dances::   
[After a long time, Ari walks back in and glares at the chapter. 'Okay, you are going to work for me, and I am going to write you, got it?' She looks up. 'Sorry for taking so very long on this; after I finished the first scene between Kairi and Aeris, I was attacked by writer's block.' She points to the writer's block that sits in front of a door, labelled _Reflections: Kairi_ (um, the door, not the block.). 'Damn thing blocked off any ideas I could have gotten!']  
**Statistics: **  
Day began: 26 January, 2004  
Day completed: 28 May, 2004  
Words: 4, 219  
Pages (script/total): 1/9

* * *

I winced as a blast of cold Blizzard magic hit me, freezing the little hairs on my arms. My Aero shield rose a moment too late, but saved me from the flare of Fire that followed. 'Good, Kairi,' Aeris commented, but a moment later my shield gave out, and she discharged a round of lightning, which I managed to dodge.

'Fire!' I cried, pointing my wand at her. I was delighted to see a small fireball blossom from the end, flying toward Aeris, who countered with a more powerful Blizzara spell. I let out a slight yelp as the ice magic enveloped the fire and continued toward me. I scampered from its path quickly, around behind Aeris. 'Stop!'

Aeris laughed as I walked to her and plucked her own staff from her hand, unable to prevent it from the Stop spell. 'Nice job.'

I grinned, doing a little dance of joy. It had been a few days since Sora had left, and although, yes, I was worried about him, I was doing my best to keep myself occupied so that I didn't worry myself sick. Besides, now, when he and Riku returned, I would be able to use some magic, and I could protect myself, at least a little.

'Kairi, I think you're ready to start using some of the higher-level spells,' Aeris said, sitting down next to me on a bench.

'Really?' I ask, excited. The ideal situation would be to be able to use all the third-level spells by the time they returned, and although it didn't seem probable, I was determined to try. This was a step in the right direction.

'Yes. All you need to do is to concentrate on the spell more. The higher-level spells require you to be in tune with the element. You need to be able to make it bend to your will, to protect you.' Aeris produced a long piece of straw from her pocket, expertly lighting it. She held her hand a couple inches above the flame, palm open. She slowly drew her hand up, and as she did so, the flame lengthened itself, becoming so thin it resembled a rope. A rope of flame. As I watched, she bent her hand to the side, the rope following it, curving. She made a complete loop with it, and the fire never stopped. It remained in the O shape, though I would have expected the flame to fall in.

Aeris handed the straw to me with a smile. 'Your turn.'

_Uh-oh . . ._

I took the lighter hesitantly, staring at it for a moment. I wondered if the flame would work, or if it would come back and burn me.

'Go on,' said Aeris, and I cautiously lit the straw with a fire spell. I placed my own hand over the flame, not surprised to see a bit of a tremble, and raised it, all the while imagining that the fire was a thread, and that I was pulling it upward. I concentrated on the colours of the flame. Green, blue, yellow, orange, red, green being the hottest, in the centre, while the red was relatively cool, on the outside. I could almost _feel_ the wind drifting by the flame, trying to extinguish it, and closed everything out but the flame, which was steadily thinning, becoming a thread of flame. When it was about eye level (I held the straw at my chest), I began to twist it, imagining the thread to have become hooked on a nail, slowly bending it around the circle. When the thread began to unravel, I would replace it, stopping and building up the thread again before continuing.

'Good, Kairi,' Aeris approved, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had completed the circle. 'I saw the look on your face. You could easily learn the higher spells if you can keep that concentration with all of them.'

'Really?' I asked, looking at the blazing circle. The words ran through my mind again—_you could easily learn the higher spells_—and I lost concentration, the string of fire drawing back into the straw with a _pop_. I looked at the straw, surprised to see that not even a blackened ash remained of the flame.

Aeris nodded, smiling. 'Really.'

- - -

I stared out the window, staring into the neon lights, contemplating everything. There was no movement beyond the closed door, no break in my thoughts, as jumbled as they were. I looked above the lights, into the clear, eternally-night sky, trying to see where Riku and Sora were. As much as I looked, I couldn't.

Aeris knocked on the door, then opened it, walking into my room. 'Kairi, we've got to leave.'

'What do you mean?'

'We have to leave. We've got to go to Hollow Bastion.'

'But isn't that where Sora is?'

Aeris nodded. 'Yes, it is.'

I jumped up, grabbing a small cloth bag. In it I threw a change of clothing and my staff, zipping it up and proclaiming myself ready. Aeris smiled slightly at my eagerness to leave, but didn't comment, and for that, I was thankful. She led me down to the main room of the small house, where Leon, Cid, and Yuffie waited for us. 'Okay, let's go!' I said.

Yuffie laughed. 'In a hurry?'

I grinned. 'I might be.'

'Well, there's no reason to be,' stated Cid. 'We ain't gonna be leaving for a bit. I've still gotta install that Warp gummi.' He chewed on the piece of straw in his mouth, seemingly contemplating the installation. I could hear him murmuring to himself, about whether or not he should move that Shield gummi, and would the Ultima gummi do better on the right or the left side?

I sighed, sitting down to wait.

- - -

Several hours later, we were finally onboard the ship, Cid swearing about how his ship was being treated like _shit_, and couldn't Leon drive the Goddamned thing any faster? No, he couldn't. The Heartless had increased in power and strength, as if there had been a sudden outflow of dark energy. It was barely enough that Cid had installed the Warp-G, did he really want us to be all killed because of foolishness?

Yuffie was sitting behind the two men, laughing openly at their petty argument. It was something that kept us occupied, I supposed; the trip to Hollow Bastion was going to be a bit longer than I had anticipated. Aeris was writing, though I didn't know what. I reached into the bag I'd brought, pulling out a small red journal. I'd been in town for a couple days, long enough to need stuff of my own, and on one excursion to buy things, I'd picked it up on a whim. There were three others, and like many things in Traverse Town, they were magical. I planned to give two of them to Sora and Riku; the third, I didn't know what I was going to do with it.

I opened to the first page, wetting my pen tip with the tip of my tongue, and placed it to the journal, beginning to write slowly at first, then continuing, quicker.

.

_Riku, Sora, I want you to know that no matter what happens to all of us, we can't let that tear us apart. We've faced too much together to allow ourselves to part._

_Yes, I know that you'll probably say that no, we didn't face it together, but the truth is that we _did. _Even if we were separated through a lot of it, there were many times where our thoughts were focused on the same goal, the same end. I know that you, Riku, were questioning Maleficent many times, and I know that you, Sora, disbelieved that Riku would trust her. There were times that at least one of our number would have surely died if not for the other. _

_Sora, you had a chance to kill Riku, yet you didn't take it. You had a chance to kill Ansem, who was using Riku's body, yet you still didn't take it. Why was this? Because you still care. You did not want to see Riku's death, am I right?_

_Riku, you, also, had a chance to kill Sora. When you acquired the Keyblade, you could have easily finished him. Yet you hesitated, and instead provided him with at least _some_ means to protect himself. And you and I both know about your second encounter in Hollow Bastion, when Donald and Goofy rejoined him. Yes, I know about that. You withdrew the energy. Of course, it also reflected off of Goofy's shield, but I am confident that you would have completely withdrawn it before it struck Sora._

_It was with both of your efforts, combined, that I was able to leave Hollow Bastion. Sora sacrificed his heart, Riku his soul. Neither, I feel, can be called 'the greater sacrifice', as both are very precious to us, and both very important. As you cannot live without a heart, life without a soul is meaningless. There is no littler sacrifice, and I thank you both. Neither of you know how much it means to me._

_However, I didn't exactly mean for this to turn into a novel! (Assuming you both receive these) These are enchanted pages. The merchant told me the knowledge of how to create these was all he could save from his world, so neither of you lose these, you hear me?_

_Anyways, whatever you write on the pages of your own journal will appear on the other pages. I thought that it would be a good way for us to be able to communicate. After all, we're all going to be back on Destiny Islands, soon (I hope). Back to boring life and boring classes. Perhaps these will create some diversion from boredom? One can only hope. And this way, we'll always be connected, in more ways than one. You know what I mean._

_Oh, well. I'd best stop writing; otherwise I'll be making no sense whatsoever._

_Love, Kairi_

_._

The pen was placed into my journal, the pages folding carefully over it. I looked up from it to see a solid wall of Heartless ships, headed straight for us.

It took all my will not to scream out loud, but I clenched my fists in my lap so hard they turned white. 'Oh . . . by the Paopu . . .'

Aeris turned around in her seat to look at me. 'Don't worry, Kairi,' she said reassuringly. 'Cid is a wonder with technology. We'll be fine.'

'I'm not . . . scared,' I replied hesitantly. 'I just have never fel—seen so much darkness at once. It's a bit startling.'

Of course I was scared, though! So many Heartless . . . but none of the others seemed afraid, so I couldn't show my own fear.

'Run out the Ultima-G,' said Leon grimly.

Beside him, Cid manipulated a few levers, pulling one down and two up, pushing in a button and flicking switches that lined the top and bottom. 'Shields running fully,' he reported. 'The Ultima is out and working already. Let 'em have it, Squall.'

'It's Leon,' the stoic man said in near-exasperation, suddenly pushing a switch next to steering up to the max.

The acceleration was incredible, I felt myself pushed back into the interior of the ship's seat. The Baltimura ploughed forward, Heartless ships streaking by either side. The ones before us were being destroyed by a beam of destructing light, as wide as the ship, stretching out in front of us for as long as the eye could see. The Heartless ships around the light tried to move into where their comrades had once blocked, trying to fence us in, but the light just disintegrated their ships like there was nothing there, gummi blocks peeling from the hull of the ship, fragile hulls breaking completely away.

'Ultima-G rapidly losing power,' Cid warned. 'They're made for short bursts, not long shooting. If we don't cut the power soon, it could wear out altogether, and where would that get us?'

'Get that second Ultima in position,' ordered Leon. 'We won't make it through without it.'

'Increase the speed, Squall. The second isn't even going to be enough. We need out before this first one goes out.'

Leon gritted his teeth, but let the name slide. This in itself worried me; I'd never heard someone call him Squall without his standardised reply, 'It's Leon'. 'Get working on the Ultima,' he snapped. 'I'll try and get us out of here, but it'll be tight. I want that gummi working as soon as possible.' He reached down, fingers trailing over a switch. He depressed the silver button, and the gummi ship changed slightly, becoming thinner, more streamlined. A second running switch melded out of the gummi next to the first, and without hesitation, Leon pushed this one forward as fast as possible as well, increasing our speed.

We rocketed through hordes of Heartless, the beam from the Ultima-G thinning as we went. I wasn't sure if we were going to make it. The end of the solid block of ships was in sight, but the light was failing us. It was uncertain which would end first, the ships or the light.

The light winked once and went out completely, Heartless ships filling the hole completely.

The darkness was overwhelming me. I couldn't breathe, my throat had tightened too much. I was scared.

The last thing I saw were the Heartless ships bearing down upon us.

- - -

_I'm beginning to learn the designs of sorro_w  
_The loss of your warm presenc_e  
_Makes me fear the overflowing darknes_s

- - -

I awoke slowly, becoming aware of books around me. . . . books? Why were there books? The last thing I remembered was the darkness around us, engulfing us . . . there had been no light. What had happened?

I climbed to my feet, looking around. Where was I? It was a large, green room, shelves filled with books all around. Directly ahead was a balcony, overlooking another floor, with still more books, more books than I'd ever seen in one place. Leaning over the balcony, I looked both ways. There was nothing of importance to my left, but to my right was a gigantic stained glass window, orange light pouring through it. An ornate staircase flowed across it, dividing it into a large and a small part.

_It's all so familiar, and I don't know why_.

I turned to my left, finally noticing a note lying there. I picked it up and unfolded it, a part of me already knowing what it was.

.

_Kairi _

_I'm sorry that we left you here, but the library seems to be the only place completely devoid of Heartless, and I doubt you'd enjoy being awakened by the Heartless_.

_Feel free to look around the library if you wish, but please remain there; we will be back shortly_.

_Aeris _

.

Hmm. Where were they?

Ah, well. It would be best to listen to Aeris. I laid the paper back on the desk and looked around, finally deciding to walk to the bottom of the stairs. There was a table there, with two chairs standing at either end. It was there that it struck me. A memory.

.

_A little redhead, a girl by the looks of her clothing (a halter-dress), ran up to the gentle old woman, a smile curving across the woman's face_.

_As the child stopped before her, she asked,_ _'Do you want to hear a story, child?'_

_The girl nodded fervently, and the woman smiled again, beginning to speak_. _'Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared_.

_'But small fragments of light survived_ . . . _in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now_.

_'But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will return_.

_'So listen, child. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away. Do you understand, Kairi?_'

.

Kairi? Then that meant that the little girl was . . .

Was this place my home?

As a door opened, I whirled around, darting for a little crevice I somehow knew was there. It was tough to squeeze in, but once I was there, I could see what was happening.

Ansem stumbled past my hiding place, murmuring to himself. 'Troublesome boy . . . I should have disposed of his soul long ago.'

I felt my eyes widen. He was talking about Riku. He had to be. But . . . what was Ansem talking about now? What had happened to Riku? Was he okay? There was nothing I wanted more than to leap out and throttle him until he told me everything, but I restrained myself, every muscle in my body tensed.

'It is time,' Ansem said, sweeping up the stairs. 'The darkness has been opened.'

And then he was gone.

I remained still for several long minutes, pondering what this could mean. What did he mean, the darkness had been opened? The darkness he'd been searching for . . . the ultimate darkness.

_But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness_.

That meant that Sora had to be there, fighting to free the true light, didn't it? And Ansem was going to try and stop him?

He couldn't! Not alone! I wouldn't let him; I'd follow him and then—

'Kairi?'

Hmm? Who was it? What did they want? I looked out to see Aeris and Leon in the doorway to the library. Oh, good! I slipped out of my hiding place, dashing across to the door to stand in front of them. 'We have to leave!' I told them quickly, the words tumbling out of my mouth. 'Ansem, he's going somewhere—the darkness, he said! He—'

'Calm down, Kairi,' said Aeris. 'Then explain.'

I took a deep breath and shut my eyes for a moment. When I spoke again, it was still frenzied, but at least understandable. 'While-you-were-all-gone-Ansem-came-in-and-I-hid-and-I-heard-him-talking-about-the-darkness-being-opened-and-it-must-mean-the-ultimate-darkness-is-within-his-reach-and-_Sora's-_in-the-middle-of-it-all-and-we-have-to-go-and-help-him!'

I doubted that they would understand this, even, but Leon's attention seemed piqued. 'You say Ansem said that the door to the darkness has been opened?'

I nodded.

'I suppose it's time,' suggested Aeris, looking at Leon.

'Yes,' he agreed. 'Go tell Cid to get the ship running.' Aeris nodded, rushing out of the room, and he looked at me. 'Kairi, I'm going to tell you this now. We are not going to be able to come with you into the darkness.'

'What?'

'There are only some people that can enter darkness that pure. I am not one of those people. Nor are Aeris, Yuffie, or Cid.'

'Then . . . who is?'

'You, Kairi. You, the other Princesses of Heart, and the Keyblade Master.

'When you enter the darkness, you will be alone. You will be scared. But you can find Sora. You, of all people, should be able to do that.'

Yes. I would, wouldn't I? Our hearts were connected. 'Thanks, Leon.'

He snorted. 'Whatever.' He left the library as well, shaking his head.

I grinned to myself, knowing that Leon wasn't as cold as he pretended to be, and followed, running past the few Heartless that popped up (though I _did_ pause to shoot a flame at a Blue Rhapsody, pleased when it burst on contact).

- - -

I was running through the darkness. 'Sora? Where are you? Riku? Please answer me!' I shouted, plunging further in.

There was no-one there.

Where _were_ they?

I wasn't going to find them, was I? No . . .

_But you can find Sora. You, of all people, should be able to do that_.

I stopped short, closing my eyes. _I _can_ do it. I can find Sora._ I concentrated hard, looking for his heart in the darkness.

Then I saw it. A pure, pulsing light, not far away. Sora.

I ran toward the light, unaware that my eyes were actually still closed. I wasn't aware of anything but the light.

A moment later, the light exploded, blinding me. I raised a hand to my eyes, but continued on. Sora was close.

And then I was there.

Standing on a small island of sand, barely bigger than my feet. As I looked down at it, it slowly began to grow, as though pulling grains of sand from the area around it. As it grew, I moved back, sliding my feet closer to the centre of the sand. But wait . . . what was that, over there? A giant pair of doors . . . an explosion of brown hair . . . Sora! But what was that past him . . . it was Riku.

I nearly screamed when I saw him; instead, I gasped. _Riku_ . . . his eyes locked with mine, and although there was a large distance between us, I could understand him perfectly.

_I'll remember, Kairi_. _I promised_.

I nodded slowly, sadly, knowing what he was about to do, but wishing he didn't feel like he had to. No-one deserved that.

As the doors shut, I turned away, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. I looked down at my feet, watching the sand gather underneath them. I slid them back again, sliding back from the edge of the island. I began to look up again, knowing that my eyes were oddly bright with tears—

'Kairi!' Sora ran up to the edge of his own land, a strange, silvery-white area.

'Sora!' I began to move forward, to talk, but the sand shifted away from his dais, and I couldn't help falling forward a bit, crying out as I did so. Sora's hand grasped mine, helping me upright. 'Sora. Take these.' I pulled out the two red journals, passing them to him. 'Give one to Riku when you see him, and don't you _dare_ open yours before you give him his!'

'Kairi. Remember what you said before?' Sora asked with a nod, still holding my hand, like it was the only thing linking us (which it probably was). The island was moving quicker now, and we were both being pulled apart. The winds behind him whisked white dust around him, almost like the sand dunes. 'I'm always with you, too. I'll come back to you. I promise!'

Now I was leaning forward, nearly falling from the bit of island that supported me. One last word . . . 'I know you will!' I cried as our grip broke.

As the island drifted backward, I watched Sora, who kept reaching toward me. I absentmindedly joined my hands before me, staring back to him, only noticing when I felt something inside of them, warm, and at the same time, distant. I looked into them to see a golden sparkle, and looked up, wondering if it was a sign.

In the sky, thousands of these sparkles were falling, a sort of golden snow, surrounding both myself and Sora, who finally stepped back, looking in wonder at the sparks. I let go of the one that was held tightly in my palms, letting it drift back to the rest of them, and watched.

A bright flash of light from behind made me turn around in surprise. From the ground spouted trees, growing in moments to four times my height, as though they'd never been gone. The bridge to Riku's Paopu surfaced, white sand falling off in a fine, see-through sheet. The half-boat that Tidus always practised duelling on came out of the earth with a rumble, water flowing off it in waves.

Water?

I turned back as the ocean began to wash up along the beach, white foam marking where it struck the sand harshly. I looked up into the sky once more to see Sora, surrounded by the glow from the newly-created Islands. He shouted something to me, but the words were lost to me.

I watched the glow as it continued over the water, on its way to recreate the other worlds. It created a sort of blue 'sunset', one of the most beautiful I'd ever seen. _It's almost as though the setting 'sun' gives life_, I thought. I lowered my head in thought, but almost immediately, my attention was brought back to the glow, as hundreds, thousands, millions of stars began to shoot into the sky from it, soaring back into their rightful places.

As they flew, I heard my name being called. I turned to my right to see Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus running along the beach. 'Kairi, what's going on?!' called Selphie.

'Why are all the stars falling, ya?' asked Wakka.

'They're not falling!' argued Tidus. 'They're flying _up_!'

I smiled. 'Yep. Sora and Riku just restored all the worlds.'

Their reactions were priceless.

* * *

Okay, all Ari-bashing . . . will kindly be directed to that dummy over there. ::hides::

Really, now, I apologise for the length of time this one took. I've . . . been slacking. ::insert embarrassed laugh:: And then ff.n destroyed my writing style ::sobs:: I've been forced to go back to my colons-for-actions . . . and they don't let me use the tilde mark ::sniffles:: So any :: are supposed to be stars. ::grins::

Oh, and ignore all the random little periods. They're there so that there's actual SPACING between the notes and the normal story . . . and Kairi's little flashback . . . ::stabbu of the spacing problem . . . with a stabbing spork.::

Anyways, there's really not that much left—just the epilogue! =D and then R:K is complete. ::dance:: After this, I'm going to start the re-write of Crossed Trails, because Ari is lazy and Crossed Trails is basically Reflections: Sora, except that it has a couple new characters . . .   
In addition, I've got a new ficcu that I'm working on, Behind the Looking Glass. So far I'm at three chapters ::dance:: Why has none of this been posted yet? Because I don't want to end up pulling THIS on you again! XD where I say I'm going to update, and then I don't . . .

Thanks to the following reviewers!

[ daea ]  
Previously known as VixettaremIx, previously known as RainWarriorPrincess. XD  
Yeah, I am an avid Rikairu fan ::grins:: and so I love writing those type of scenes . . . that was my favourite scene, as well!  
MOU . . . where did your Rikairu story go? ::whines and pokes you manymanymany times:: It was GOOD! And I luffed it! ::pokes you more::  
Mou . . . if you deleted it, that's your choice. But that doesn't mean I can't be upset.  
And really, in the game? It only seems like she's favouring Sora cos it's from his POV! You don't get to see much of Riku at all, just a couple scenes here and there. For all we know, Riku and Kairi could've been making out like whoa in that time period. ::snerksnerksnerk::

[ FlikFreak ]   
Well, I'm glad that I got such a reaction out of you! XD However, can you elaborate on the Spell/Grammar check? I don't know where exactly you meant :heh: sometimes, I leave mistakes (on grammar) in, just because it works better.

[ YamiMarita ]  
::cheers:: Yay for lightning!!  
Mou . . . this is peachy. ::buried by awards:: And where am I supposed to put them all? Honestly . . . mou . . .

[ Zoshi the Confused ]  
Mou . . . poor Riku . . . ::snuggles him but gets smacked:: x.x;;   
And I loved your latest chapter! ::squee!:: I'm sorry that I can't review, but something is blocking every single popup I can get, even if I hold down 'Ctrl' -.-;;

[ Mizu-chan ]  
::grins:: The sophomore party lasted the entire year! ::has one exam left on Tuesday:: ::dance:: Dance dance dance dancin' dancin' dance dance dance dance dance dance dancin' dancin' dancin' dancin' dance dance . . .   
Dramatic lines are fun! ::victory pose::  
::grins:: As to how I'm going to finish this . . . well, it should be interesting. And everyone's going to go 'you IDIOT!' at Kairi . . . poor Kairi.  
My dvds are indeed lovely ::happyari:: But! One of my things (that I recently ordered) was backordered . . . it's been over a month and they still haven't been shipped! ::sobs::  
You're going to Japan AND the British Isles?! That's not fair!! ::hides in your suitcase:: heeeeeeeee . . .

You know, it's sad that this was finished . . . during final exams . . . -.-;

Anyway! Good news: Ari ish completely done with school. And this means that she won't take as long on the epilogue of this! Yay!

And! Just to let you all know, I'm moving all my ficcus to fictionised.net. I like writing here so that I get feedback, but I hate that I can't put my spacing into a chapter. I hate that I can't use my stars to signify my actions OUT OF THE CHAPTER. It's sodding irritating, and I'm sick of it.  
http:www.fictionised.net

See you there hopefully ::grins::


	9. epilogue: a memory reminisced

**Title:** Reflections: Kairi ( Epilogue )   
**Author name:** Ari Powwel  
**Author email:**   
**Spoilers:** . . . a lot . . . and spoilers for Reflections: Riku if you haven't read that.  
**Summary: **Epilogue?  
**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by various publishers including but not limited to Disney Interactive and Square Co., Ltd. The song lyrics used in this chapter are from the song Half Pain, from Witch Hunter Robin. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**  
Author's Notes:** ...no comment. [grins] It took a bit, but it's here. Hey, look! It took two months exactly—this has been finished since last night.  
Next major projects: Crossed Trails, my KH/PotO crossover, and a new ficcu called Moribundum Fatum ([points at title] Megu-chan helped me on the title. I dun claim to be a Latin expert XD), a fic for which I will probably be killed several times over . . .

* * *

The sky was dark, now; there was no light shining into the Secret Place. That didn't matter, however, as Kairi had no need for light. She stared through the hole in the stone roof, looking at the stars littering the night sky. She tilted her head unconsciously, wondering to herself which stars represented her friends' current positions. Had Riku made it out of Kingdom Hearts? Or was he still trapped in the dark abyss? Was Sora still fighting? Or had he given up hope?

Kairi sighed, picking up the red notebook that lay beside her. She flipped it open, eyes scanning past the page she'd written on, hoping to see Riku's scrawl or Sora's untidy scribble. But there was nothing there, as there'd been since she'd returned to Destiny Islands. She sighed again, replacing the cover and sitting it down next to her again. Her eyes returned to the sky, until—

'I never thought I'd see the day.'

Kairi sat bolt upright, looking around. She recognised that voice. 'What day?'

'The day my Kairi was quiet for a solid five minutes, let alone three hours,' answered the woman, a trace of humour in her voice. 'Deep thoughts?'

'I guess you could say that,' murmured Kairi, laying back once more and training her eyes on the nearest star. Perhaps if she strained her eyes enough, she'd be able to see what the planet was?

The old woman huffed suddenly. 'Kairi, I can't believe you. What happened to the little girl that ran around the castle?'

_She's not here anymore_, Kairi wanted to respond, but couldn't bring herself to. _I've changed since then_.

'The Kairi _I_ knew wouldn't let anything get in the way of her happiness. And she sure never let herself get left out of anything.' The woman chuckled quietly before continuing, 'I seem to remember planning a certain party one year. Your fourth birthday, wasn't it? Yes, it was. But our little guest of honour realised something was going on, and wouldn't stop until she found out what was going on. But you still loved the party all the same, didn't you?'

Kairi couldn't help it; she raised an eyebrow, finally turning on her side to where the old woman's voice was coming from.

'Oh, now, don't give me that look. I may not be in the prime of my life, but my memory hasn't given out just yet. Still a few hundred years left in me.'

'What are you trying to say?' asked Kairi suddenly. 'That I should throw a party? While Sora and Riku are _missing?_'

'I didn't say that!' said the woman indignantly. 'There's no need to be so irritable . . .'

For several minutes, silence reigned again, while Kairi tried to calm herself. Why was she letting the woman get to her? Because she was telling herself the same things, her mind answered. The old woman was merely repeating, reinforcing what she'd been saying to herself. 'I'm not irritable,' she finally mumbled.

The woman laughed. 'So says the angered. Now, listen here. You can't live in the past, Kairi. Just because your friends aren't here with you right now doesn't mean you can't be happy. You know as well as I do that you'll never forget them, so why drown yourself in memories? You've got great friends outside that you create _new_ memories with, memories in _addition_ to the ones you've had with the two boys. You've spent _how_ long sulking over them? Much past the normal time of mourning, I'm sure.'

Kairi had no answer to this.

'And do you think _they_ would want you to be sad? Wouldn't they rather see their Kairi happy and cheerful, like they remember her? Or would they rather see a sad, depressed Kairi, one that would rather spend all her days angsting away? You answer me.'

There was several more minutes of silence before Kairi admitted, 'Happy.'

'You see? Now, then. Stand up. Up, up, up!'

Kairi lifted herself to her feet, slowly, dragging her white shoes along the ground. She looked up to the skies again as the woman fussed over her, attempting to rub a bit of dirt from the back of her shirt, scoffing at how beaten up her shoes were and accusing her of dragging her feet. 'Stand up _straight_, Kairi! You're going to end up hunched over when you grow old like me! And stop dragging your feet; you're only wearing out your shoes faster.'

Kairi offered a smile—a genuine smile—to the stars, before returning her gaze to the relatively short woman in front of her. 'Okay.'

The old woman smiled, the wrinkles around her eyes growing more pronounced as she did so, and patted Kairi on the shoulder. 'Good girl. Now, pick up your journal. I don't think you'd want to lose that, am I right?'

'You're right,' said Kairi, giggling slightly and crouching to pick up the leather-bound book.

'So what's going on tonight?' asked the woman, giving Kairi a quizzical look. 'I'm certain I heard talk of a celebration tonight . . .'

'You're right!' Kairi gasped. 'Tonight's the meteor shower of Ficre, the goddess of . . . travel . . .' she trailed off, thinking. 'It was the day before the shower we planned to leave, so that our first night would be filled with the meteors overhead . . . ow!' she cried as the woman smacked her sharply upside the head.

'No depressing thoughts!' reprimanded the woman, brandishing her pointer finger. 'I don't want to have to repeat myself again, Kairi!'

Kairi ran a hand through her hair, giggling sheepishly. 'Sorry . . .'

'Now, if I'm not mistaken, your friends will be looking for you. Go join them,' advised the woman. 'And I don't want to catch you getting all depressed over the boys again; got it? Remember the happy times, and those only.'

Kairi smiled again, nodding once. 'Thanks . . . Grandmother.'

The old woman smiled back, eyes almost lighting up in joy as Kairi embraced her once more. 'Remember, my child, what you have learned tonight. And have a good time!'

Kairi grinned, waving back as she started down the path to the beach. 'I will! Thanks again!'

The woman waved as her red-haired granddaughter disappeared from sight, with a bounce in her step that hadn't been there before.

'Chin up, Kairi. The night is always darkest before the dawn, and it's been night for far too long.'

* * *

_Dear Kairi,  
__I suppose you'll be happy to know that per your wishes, Sora has somehow managed to pass this journal along to me. I still don't know how he managed it.   
__I don't understand you at times, and that's all I'll say on the matter.   
__So are you telling me that the Destiny Islands have reformed? If so, that's definitely a load off my mind. Thanks, Kai.  
__Oh, and someone tell Sora to get off his lazy butt and start working. Mickey says there's something else nearby; something that's going to cause a bit of a problem . . .  
__Riku_

_Hey! I resent that!  
__Sora_

_Don't you mean, 'resemble?' You _are_ lazy. If I may quote . . . 'Sora, you lazy bum! I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here . . .'_

_. . . everything we've went through, and you still remember that? I guess it's true what they say: an elephant never forgets._

_. . . elephant?_

_Um, never mind._

_Well, I'm pretty sure I resent that comment, Sora._

_. . . don't you mean, 'resemble?'_

* * *

Hee, I'm amused. And I'm also finished with this ficcu. Yay! [dances]

Anyways, if you for some reason want to know anything about me coming and current ficcus, check http: www. livejournal. com/ community/ [underscore][underscore]soulfire  
And feel free to comment; I'd like to know what you all think! [grin]  
  
Oh, and so far, Crossed Trails is on the fourth chapter—though it's reeeeeally the third chapter. I ended up rewriting so much that the dream and the first day on Destiny Islands are large enough to be a chapter in themselves—unless you want a chapter 1O,OOO words long, and then a chapter _half_ that length the next update. X.X;

Thanks to the following reviewers!

[ daea ]  
[blinkblink] I put a bunch of genres together? o.o; I seriously never knew that. I feel special now!   
As for the journals; that's an idea I've had for a while, now. Doesn't everyone have that idea when they're younger? X3  
Ah, yes! I was actually trying to come up with a different characterisation for Kairi than most have. Most people seem to go, 'Arrrrgh, Kairi! Annoying! Kill! Evil! Muaaaaaaaaa!' and I sit there blinking at the screen. Besides, there's got to be more to her than they actually _showed_, right?  
Ooooh, crash and loss is t3h suckage! If you _do_ decide to do a rewrite, though, let me know? I can remember a bit about it . . . you probably remember more, but hey, y'know, a lot of people liked it! XP Though you shouldn't rewrite it out of duty . . . eh, I'm losing my sense now x.x;; But let me know if you decide to rewrite? =D  
See me at forum? Neeeeeeeeh? [confused XD]

[ Hybridbabe ]  
Aww, poor Jou! [pats him on the head] We . . . don't _hate_ you, Jou! =D  
Whoo-hoo, a SHELF! =D [starts putting things on the broken shelf]

[ Zoshi the Confused ]  
Ooooh, you speak Polish? Coooool!  
Aww, why don't you like gummi ship flying-writing? I think it's kinda fun they never show what goes on in the gummi ship, so you get to make up all of it!  
Eh, I'm actually still here for the time being; not enough people at X.X;  
  
[dances around] And that is IT! I'll see you all next update!

Final Question: Would you rather have a longer wait for a new story (longer being like, next YEAR XX;;), but have all the chapters come constantly, or shorter wait but chapters being updated whenever I finish them? (Which would be a relatively short wait, seeing as I have a few chapters of a few stories done already)  
Let me know, and thanks for reading! =D


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